DBV Series 8: Axis of Evil
by Verto-Briefs
Summary: Darkness falls upon the Earth as the shadow of evil slowly emerges to devour mankind. Multiple threats with differing agendas target the Earth and the Z fighters, the only group that can defend against them. Against this alliance of evil, choices must be made, grudges must be pushed aside, and new strength must be attained.
1. Prologue

**I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. Nor do I own any legal imprinting of whatever theme I'm using, such as a crossover with another anime, movie or TV series. Did I think it up? Yes. Was I the first to think it up? Probably not, but I digress. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just the merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.**

**First things first, if you haven't read a word of this story, _STOP HERE_. Proceed back to Saga 1 and start there, you can reach it through the profile page. Then hit Sagas 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 _in that order_ before coming back to this one. You _WILL_ be incredibly lost if you do not read everything beforehand at least once. You do not have to read the Lost Chapters beforehand, but it helps. And if you didn't like this story previously, well you're missing out. If on the off chance you didn't like it, why are you back? Just press the X and get it over with. But if you're only here to crap on it and everyone else's day, then just save me, the fans, and yourself some trouble and move on! Seriously, the negative opinions won't be missed or even noticed. Now if you are here because you do like this story, then by all means, start scrolling.**

**DBV Saga 8: Axis of Evil**

** Theme: "Nightmare" by Avenged Sevenfold**

**Well, I see some of you have come back for more, what a surprise. This is the saga I've been waiting to write for a long time, mostly because it will be one of the most action packed and compelling one to date, or will it? Honestly that's probably up to you to determine. So many things have changed since I first began planning for it, most of which occurred while I was starting to write number 7. I think they were good changes though to be honest, so bear with it. The most notable one involved Verto losing his expanded abilities that I spent so much time building up. It was for the best as I felt he was starting to get a little overpowered, okay a lot. I fully realize that some of you agreed with that, and some didn't. There was not a barrage of flames or suggestions that spurned that either, I had that planned for awhile. Will things remain that way? Well you'll just have to find out. As for the saga you're about to read, this begins almost a full year later with the exception of a flashback or two. Why did I name it 'Axis of Evil', well you probably know why, but if you don't, you're about to find out. As always you're encouraged to sign in on your reviews if you want a response to it. I don't do in-chapter answers. Also as always, WDG is here to help me edit. Upload times will vary a lot until I have this saga finished, enjoy.**

**I think you all know the drill when it comes to the communication, but here it is anyway:**

"Blah blah blah" - Regular communication.

"_Blah blah blah blah"_ – Telepathic or from an outside source such as a TV or radio.

_Blah blah blah blah blah_ – _Mostly_ personal thoughts.

**Prologue: Wheelo's Revival**

In the frigid wastelands of the north, a large vehicle plowed through the deep snow. It resembled a truck with a crane attached to its middle, but it was larger than the average tank. Snowflakes flew wildly around it, but were only illuminated by the headlights. The driver jerked the wheel slightly with one arm to avoid a boulder, narrowly doing so. He was an aging man with a cane and a robotic arm that wasn't quite complete and was missing the whole hand as it hung out of his lab coat for all to see. The extreme cold environment didn't seem to bother him either, but that was to be expected since he was no longer completely human, if at all.

"Damn, where is he?" Doctor Kochin rasped as he tried to see through the blizzard. On the console of his vehicle, a large red guidance arrow pointed straight ahead to some sort of pinging signal, but it didn't indicate how far away it was.

"The first thing I should do is improve our GPS system. These out-dated relics are nothing but junk!" Kochin exclaimed to himself. Within another minute, Kochin's vehicle grazed a large chunk of metal, causing him to lose control. He slammed on the brakes and slid sideways a little, pushing the metal piece when his truck's rear end collided with it.

His red arrow suddenly changed to a large dot, causing him to smile, "I've found him!" Kochin scrambled out into the blizzard and examined what he had hit. It was a huge robotic arm, but it was broken off from the main body it had belonged to. Kochin looked over the metal arm carefully, taking note of the amount of damage that had been done on both ends.

"This must be the result of a battle between Doctor Wheelo and one or more of the Saiyans. A shame that the Mark Five wasn't fully ready in time, I would've liked to see its full potential matched against the strength of the Saiyans. Although, even at eighty-five percent power, it should have prevailed. No matter, I must find the headpiece!" Kochin declared. He took about three steps forward and suddenly fell through the snow. There was almost a fifty foot drop through just frigid air before he landed on another pile of snow. He stumbled out and was silently thankful for his hardened cyborg body before he looked around. It was a partial cave that had formed from both the heavy snow and the huge robot buried beneath it.

"Doctor Wheelo!" Kochin called out happily. Kochin made his way to the side of the head, opening a panel on its side. It was dark inside, but Kochin pressed a few buttons and a small console screen lit up. Kochin brushed off some of the frost as a number displayed and flashed in red.

"Life support is down to only four percent?! Fortune favors you Doctor Wheelo! Another day and I would've been too late! Now, let's get you back to the lab to recover!"

* * *

><p>Several days later, Doctor Wheelo awoke inside his robotic body, vaguely aware of how it felt and worked. His optic sensors functioned enough for him to realize that he was in one of his underground laboratories, but he wasn't sure which one. When he attempted to move, his body didn't budge an inch. He quickly realized that it had been encased in a very large wall. There was only one that could have done this, and Wheelo spotted him working on a broken control panel.<p>

"Kochin, what has happened?"

Kochin was a bit startled by the sudden awareness of his partner, "Ah, awake at last! I found you in the deep snow about one hundred kilometers from this location. You had only a day's worth of life support remaining. Why were you unable to escape the cold?"

"I was forced to power down after my battle with Vegeta, otherwise this shell would've self destructed. The remaining power reserves weren't enough to start up again after suffering too much damage. Even so, why did it take you so long to find me? My tracking device should have been active from day one!" Wheelo shouted, his voice booming in the cave.

"My apologies sir, but I am Kochin Five. The computer here received the information that our South City lab had been destroyed. Kochin Three's memory backup was slow to upload into my systems and I was not complete yet upon activation. That was two months ago, was this lab to be scuttled sir?" Kochin asked.

Wheelo paused for a moment, "It was, but no longer. I take it that Kochin Three and Four have been destroyed?"

"I'm afraid so about Kochin Three. I'm not sure about Kochin Four sir, but there has been no contact with our North City station for many months. I, Kochin Five, will strive to serve you better," Kochin claimed as he bowed.

"And I'm sure you will. Our North City facility was destroyed by the Saiyans. This may be our last operational laboratory and we are to keep it secret at any cost," Wheelo said sternly.

"Yes sir. What are your orders? Shall I begin reconstructing your body?" Kochin asked.

"This ugly shell is detestable, but it will have to do until we can find a better solution," Wheelo said in disgust.

"I understand sir, are we going ahead with further human testing of Chemical Z?"

"No, that will not do. Our results in South City were far too unstable and only created monsters. By now, the Saiyans have likely eliminated or at least quarantined my remaining samples. I believe our answer is in robotics," Wheelo stated.

Kochin's eyes lit up with a hint of delight, "Ah, you would like to further our research of improving the effects of cybernetics? To what end sir?"

Wheelo's robotic red eye turned slightly, "To the only logical end. It's the only way to take back this planet and keep it out of alien hands. Even if that means we have to make uneasy decisions to reach that goal. This will require a lot of time and effort on your part Kochin. I recommend activating a few more of your copies. We will then create an avatar for me to assist you with and to further our plans."

"Excellent suggestion sir, I will begin immediately!" A loud alarm sounded suddenly, lighting the room with red briefly before it faded aside from the console nearest Kochin.

"What is it?" Wheelo asked.

Kochin looked at his console display, "It is a transmission from deep space sir. From the alien Frost, ruler of the Kold Empire."

"I see, perhaps he is finally ready to join forces. His timing could have been better, put him through," Wheelo ordered.

"Yes sir, it will take a moment as the communication relays are still not entirely functional," Kochin said. He then crawled into the underside of his control panel and started to pull and reconnect a mesh of unorganized wires. A large video screen slowly moved down in front of Wheelo's huge robotic head, showering it with sparks that flew off. Kochin's panel also sparked with potential problems as he dug around underneath it. Static filled the screen for about ten seconds before Kochin crawled out and literally kicked the panel. The screen cleared up immediately, revealing Frost in his fourth form. Wheelo first noticed the mechanical eye before anything else.

"Doctor, it's been too long. I thought for sure that the Saiyans would have eliminated you by now. It seems I was not the only one who needed to be rebuilt. Although in your case, you've clearly gone overboard. Perhaps I should consider myself lucky," Frost said with a chuckle.

If Wheelo could have scowled he would have, "It wasn't my intention, but circumstances forced me into this situation. What is it you want?"

Frost grinned, "Straight to the point? Have I called at a bad time?"

"Let's just say that I'm in no position to move against air, never mind our mutual enemies," Wheelo stated simply.

Frost looked amused, "Well you can relax doctor, I don't require you to attack them at this time. It looks like you're already bearing the fruits of that action. In fact I don't want you to just yet. My forces are spread very thin and I'll need at least a standard year to be ready to take Earth. My lovely new ally has already scouted the Earth and says that our best move until that time is to disrupt the peace, not invade, until the humans themselves are with us."

"That is an excellent plan Lord Frost, and I have my own theories as to how we can accomplish that. My advanced technology will go a long way to further that goal," Wheelo said.

"Ahem, sorry to interrupt you doctor, Lord Frost, but I have some discouraging input on the power of the Saiyans. They recently faced an extremely powerful foe, one that should have wiped them out easily, and were able to conquer that foe. They used some sort of combination technique that somehow combined two of them into one, creating a more powerful entity than the two separated," Kochin explained.

Frost's eyes narrowed, "This must be the Fusion technique I've heard of from our new ally. According to my source, it was developed by the inhabitants of Planet Metamor. It is a problem, but I think we can work around that issue. As I understand it, the technique also has its drawbacks and if it can be disrupted when they attempt it, it can not only fail, but they'll be helpless. It also only lasts for about thirty minutes at most and they will require a full hour to be able to use it again. Fear not doctor, our new ally has supplied me with the details regarding that troublesome ability."

Wheelo's eye turned, "I must ask, who is this new ally you speak of?"

Frost grinned again, "Oh I think you know her already." Frost pulled back from the screen and a busty, scantily clad half-Saiyan with violet hair stepped into view. If Wheelo's armor could have changed colors, it would've been pale.

"You?!"

"Why hello doctor, I see you survived our last meeting," Kaon said slyly.

"Frost, do you realize what kind of monster she is?!" Wheelo shouted. Frost closed his eyes, keeping a tight smirk on his face.

"Of course he knows that dear doctor. Be glad that you two are not my enemies, otherwise you'd all be ashes," Kaon claimed with a smirk.

"Not that it would be much different that my current state. You're the reason I am in this shell. I kidnapped the girl and expected a brainless body I could exploit. Instead I found a demonic sociopath lying in wait," Wheelo grumbled.

Kaon posed slightly by bending forward enough that her chest took up most of the screen, "Why doctor you flatter me. Do you like what you see?"

Wheelo wished he could have closed his mechanical eye, "I think I'd rather vomit."

Kaon frowned and stood up straight, "Well I guess it's too bad you're not man enough for even that now."

"The cradle robber speaks," Wheelo said aloud, pulling a shocked gasp from Kaon.

"Do you need me to return and finish the job doctor? I promise you that Hell will seem inviting compared to what I will do," Kaon said with a hint of anger.

Frost chuckled, "Now now, no need to start insulting each other already. We have too much to do and no time for this nonsense. You can relax doctor, the demon is on a leash and won't make a move unless we are all in agreement."

Kaon's eyes shifted in Frost's direction for a brief moment before turning back to Wheelo, "Anyways, you have a good plan doctor, but I wish to tweak it just a bit. You see, humans are very gullible creatures and we can make them do our bidding over time, if it is done correctly."

Wheelo felt taken aback, "But I haven't even told you the specifics yet, how could you…"

"How could I possibly know? I read your mind last time we met and you were already considering such things due to your failure with the Overmind's essence. A foolish thing to do by the way, but that creature is no more thankfully."

Wheelo felt a rush of annoyance, "What do you propose?"

Kaon's grin widened, "Like I said, there's a few tweaks I'd like to make to your plan. We will work in conjunction and your plans will help bring us a new ally that is waiting for us."

From the side, Kochin's eyes lit up, "New ally? Do you mean the humans we wish to turn to our side?"

Kaon shrugged, "Well, they are part of this too. No, our new ally is quite powerful and will be able to help to neutralize our foes. But we need to wake him up first. Thankfully the key to doing that is already on Earth, listen carefully…"


	2. 8-1

**I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. Nor do I own any legal imprinting of whatever theme I'm using, such as a crossover with another anime, movie or TV series. Did I think it up? Yes. Was I the first to think it up? Probably not, but I digress. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just the merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.**

**Chapter 1: Earth, One Year Later.**

Birds chirped happily as the bright yellow sun peaked over the horizon of West City. The taller buildings glistened in the warm light, bouncing the reflection down towards the surface. It was still early, so all was quiet save for a few cars on the road. It was relaxing enough for young Trunks Briefs to ignore his alarm and roll over to catch a few more minutes of slumber. Like sleep though, all silence comes to an end eventually.

"Trunks! Get up or you'll be late for school!"

Trunks rolled his eyes slightly, "I'm coming."

"TRUNKS!" Bulma called out again.

"I'm coming already!" Trunks shouted.

It had been about eleven months since the battle with the demon Vang and it had passed fairly quickly without many notable incidents. There had been plenty of changes with time as there always are, but this kind of peace had been rare ever since Majin Buu's appearance. Trunks still felt the need to hurry and dress, but only to avoid the possibility of his mother suddenly barging in. He could sense both her and his baby sister Bulla downstairs, likely preparing breakfast. He didn't sense his father Vegeta, but that was hardly any different than any other day due to the properties of the gravity room. By now, the Saiyan Prince would normally be well into his morning training and would not want to be disturbed, even for food.

Trunks slipped on a loose jacket and headed downstairs as he continually rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He wasn't looking forward to this day to say the least. Bulma had enrolled him into junior school, which was not even required to attend high school for them. For Trunks, it was only a path to boredom, as there was a very good chance he would be above the average teacher's level of intelligence. That aside, since Chichi had also signed up Goten, he agreed so that he could at least be with his friend. Due to the distance involved, both would attend in Satan City; nearby where Gohan and Videl had just finished and graduated from Orange Star High. The newlywed couple had opted to stay at the Satan Mansion until Gohan had built his own house. Despite many offers from Hercule Satan, Gohan hadn't budged on the idea of building their house himself without any help aside from his father occasionally. That project still had yet to get very far off the ground though, as Gohan was also attending Orange Star University. College seemed to be a long ways off for Trunks, making him dread his first school day even more.

_I wish Verto had to go too. At least then it wouldn't be completely lame._ Trunks remembered the conversation that his mother and Verto had, though it was very one-sided. Trunks could still recall Verto's answer nearly word for word.

"_I went through it once, never again. Try to make me go and I will get myself expelled before the lunch hour_," Verto had said at the time.

The more Trunks listened to those memorable words, the more he wanted his mother to push the issue. Verto's in-school creativity would have likely entertained him and Goten for at least a month. He silently held onto hope that there would be a surprise this morning, but Verto was nowhere nearby. The older, adopted brother was likely up and training already or possibly making his rounds before his own study session began. Only in this case, Verto was the teacher. Several months prior, Verto offered Trunks some energy sword training at his place in the woods. Trunks had accepted since he didn't have anything better to do and he wanted to improve his Ki Sword technique. When he had gotten there though, he hadn't expected to have to cut through a hard metal block right off the bat. Verto had explained that it was only there for a goal, but invited Trunks to try anyway. The first time his Ki Sword had bounced right off. He didn't know what the metal was, but when he couldn't even damage it with his fist or an energy blast, it clearly wasn't normal. The other big block had been sliced up into randomly sized cubes, many with scorch marks dotting their surfaces. This showed Trunks that Verto had perfected the same technique to an extreme, even without his Mystic Psionic powers. He even showed off a new technique he had developed from that training, one that Trunks hoped he never had to go up against. After explaining that "our energy is a muscle too", Verto set Trunks to a specific training method that he came up with himself. Trunks' assignment was rounds of chopping wood with his Ki Sword. The first several times he splintered and incinerated every piece of wood he cut into. Verto then went through an entire tree with barely even a burn mark, demonstrating how precise he had gotten with his own Ki Sword. It took Trunks nearly two months of practice to get close to that point, but eventually he was able to manipulate his golden blade to slice the Kachin block in half and cleanly cut wood with barely a breath. This precision training had helped him immensely with energy output control, something that his father even struggled with at times. His most powerful attacks no longer took nearly as much energy to use, and he could use them more often or make them stronger as needed. It didn't necessarily make his power level that much higher, but it would make him much more proficient in battle.

During the training, Verto had called Mister Satan up there to help him build a small open arena similar to the World Tournament stage, but with a roof overhead. He overheard them speaking of trainees but Trunks was too caught up in his own work to notice. Eventually, Verto told him that he and Satan intended to give advanced training to martial artists who applied for it. Since Satan himself was onboard, getting a starting list of trainees was quite easy. Keeping them was a tad more difficult, but only due to the unruly and impatient ones. Trunks had yet to witness one of these classes, but had heard that out of over five hundred initial applicants, two had made it through the first day. Many of them were kicked out for failing to take Verto seriously, and the rest were booted for not knowing a thing about martial arts. Trunks even heard of one poor guy that had the nerve to tell Verto to go back to kindergarten. Knowing Verto like he did, he had probably let that one go without much aside from a disparaging comment. Apparently that particular person had also made the mistake of insulting Verto's human family in some way, which Trunks knew from experience was over the line of acceptable insults. He didn't know what the man had said, but Verto had been kind enough to call for a helicopter instead of an ambulance due to the blood loss and distance to the nearest hospital. After regrouping, Verto and Satan elected to give it a tiered approach. The applicants who were very green or even moderately skilled trained under Satan at his dojo. Only the very advanced would train under Verto once Satan deemed them worthy. There was another incident that Trunks heard about regarding Verto bumping heads with a former colleague of Satan's that hadn't fared as well as the world champ in the martial arts world. Trunks didn't get all the details of the incident, only that it was a very rich man that was very angry after something Verto did but he never heard what. Needless to say, that gave the now teenaged half-Saiyan a lot of free time. Trunks was still in disbelief that Verto had aged so quickly compared to him. He understood the circumstances somewhat, but it did annoy him a little bit. He never asked Verto directly about it, but at the same time he figured that Verto acted older so he might as well look older too. Trunks never asked what Verto spent his time on, but there were more than a few instances of a crime spree coming to an abrupt halt.

Trunks sighed slightly, _I'd rather fight crime than go to school._ As he made his way down for breakfast, his younger sister suddenly bolted over to him. Bulla, now age two, had a habit of suddenly charging towards whoever came into the room to greet them.

"Twunks!" Bulla squealed.

Trunks glanced at his mother, "When is she going to get that right?"

"Oh I remember when you were that age. You couldn't pronounce any other word besides 'food' most days," Bulma reminded. Trunks grimaced before looking down as Bulla tugged at his shorts for attention.

"Come on Bulla, say Trunks. Tra-unks," Trunks said as he slowed down his words.

Bulla turned her head in question, "Unks-Tra?"

"I give up," Trunks grumbled as he moved towards the table.

Bulma chuckled as Bulla gave off another squeal and ran across the room, "At least she isn't flying around or turning Super Saiyan yet. It's hard enough to keep track of her as it is. Hope you're hungry for eggs and bacon."

Trunks smiled as he sat down, "Always am!" Bulma set down a large plate in front of him before picking up Bulla to sit her in a booster chair. The plate was empty before Bulla was in her seat.

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Saiyans." Before Trunks could ask for more, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Who could that be so early? We don't have anyone to answer the door at this hour," Bulma wondered.

Trunks got up, "I'll get it." Trunks scampered out of the room, nearly tripping over a few stray toys before reaching the front door. He was more than a little surprised when he saw who was on the other side.

"Officer Satsu?"

Sonny Satsu frowned slightly, "Detective, but close enough for you I suppose. Is your mother around? I'd like to speak with her if she'll have me."

Trunks turned his head a bit in question, "Sure I guess. Mom, it's for you!"

Bulma scowled in the dining room and promptly dropped a small plate in front of Bulla, "Now of all times? Why can't people come here when I'm not busy?"

"Hmph, you're always busy woman," Vegeta said as he made a sudden appearance, stinking of sweat from his morning workout.

"Training life must be nice. Well while you're eating can you…" Bulma started to ask.

Vegeta nodded, "Go on, I'll watch her." Bulma gave him a grateful look before pulling off her apron and walking quickly to the front lobby. It had been a pleasant surprise in the last year that Vegeta had taken extra time to spend with his kids, more than usual anyway. With all of the projects Bulma was working on, she really needed the help looking after the kids too. Trunks wasn't as much of a problem as Bulla was, but that was a given due to their age differences and activities. She discovered that Vegeta would often take over watching her, whether it was during his usual training times or even meal times when Bulma was too swamped. It was a welcome sight since it didn't happen much at all when Trunks was younger, except of course when it was time for Trunks to train as well. With Trunks starting school, she hoped that it would take some of the pressure off of her so she could get work done more quickly, but that wasn't a guarantee. Vegeta had yet to pull the 'if they can walk, they can train' trick with Bulla, but he seemed much more relaxed with his daughter than his son.

Bulma rolled her eyes at the thought, _Of course, that's his little princess._

As she rounded the corner, she was a bit taken aback when she saw Sonny, "Oh Officer Satsu. What a pleasant surprise."

"It's Detective, may I come in?" Sonny asked.

Bulma gave Trunks a look of discouragement, "Certainly. My son should have already invited you in. Speaking of which, he should be getting ready for school."

"But I am ready Mom," Trunks claimed as he pointed to the bag on the lobby chair.

"Oh, well it's a long flight to Satan City so get going," Bulma hinted.

"An hour if I'm going as slow as the birds. School isn't for another hour and a half," Trunks replied.

Bulma grumbled inaudibly while Sonny couldn't help but laugh, "It's alright, this isn't confidential or anything. Actually he might be able to help me with some police work if he wants to."

Trunks' eyes lit up, "Awesome!"

Bulma folded her arms, "Trunks, school, now!" Trunks sulked and picked up his school bag before stepping out with a dejected expression.

Bulma shook her head, "Sorry you had to see that but I don't want him missing anything to go play hero. We have enough kids running around to cover that."

"If you're referring to your other son, then you would be correct. Is he here too by any chance?" Sonny asked.

"No, he doesn't stay here for more than a night or two per month anymore. Too busy with his training project or something," Bulma explained briefly.

"Well I understand busy. Ever since the merger I've had maybe three days off in the last four or five months. And lucky me, I get to travel the most," Sonny said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh that's right, the Global Police Force. Every section of the world is now under the same jurisdiction right?" Bulma asked.

"More or less. The original precincts are still the same and patrol the same areas. However for some of us without the uniform, it's becoming a pain in the ass. I'd say I make three trips between here and Satan City every day. Not so easy for us lowly humans, especially if I get called out to North or South City to investigate or consult on a simple case of jaywalking," Sonny explained.

"So, now there's another drawback to being a detective, I'm glad I didn't pursue that career."

"For me, there wasn't any other choice. The Satsu family has always been either military or law enforcement. I am proud to say though that I was the first detective."

Bulma nodded in approval, "Speaking of family, how is your brother Marcus doing?"

Sonny cleared his throat, "Cousin actually. Marcus was acquitted of all charges. They polygraphed him several times and found no evidence that he murdered his wife."

"Despite the guilty plea? And the fact that he shot that girl right in front of the police?" Bulma asked in surprise.

"Funny thing about that, the two that were with her testified that she had been controlling them with her odd ability. They both were polygraphed and passed. Added to that, the girl had multiple felonies and other suspicious activities noted on her rap sheet. Known association with a certain mad doctor that was the head of a former defunct organization didn't help. Marcus got a few months of probation and some re-education on how to properly use police channels. Barely a tap on the wrist," Sonny stated, motioning to tap his wrist a bit.

Bulma smiled, "Well that's great to hear. What is he up to now?"

"As of four months ago he is officially an officer of the GPF. There's even a detective's badge waiting for him if he decides to pursue it. He only needs to keep his nose clean for a few months. He's been doing a lot of undercover work around Satan City," Sonny said with a hint of pride.

"Well tell him I said good luck," Bulma said.

"I will. Speaking of those who don't use proper police channels, where can I get in touch with your other son?"

"Verto? Well you can find him out in the middle of nowhere. I can get you the location if you need to speak with him, but it would probably be easier if I asked him to just meet up here instead. I'm not sure how often he's actually there," Bulma explained.

"A location would do just fine, I've seen firsthand how stubborn that kid can be," Sonny said with a chuckle.

Bulma gave him a suspicious glance, "So is he in trouble for something?"

Sonny shook his head, "Not right now. I just want to remind him that the police are around for a reason. We don't need vigilantes running around and taking the law into their own hands. A crisis is one thing, a case that hasn't even gotten a suspect or even been reported is a whole difference can of worms. I understand that he has a strong sense of justice and wants to make sure some of these scumbags know it. But one slip up could bring unwanted attention by all the lawyers in the world. And because you're the legal guardian, you need to know what your kid is up to."

Bulma sighed heavily, "I knew he was looking into some very disturbing crimes. He hasn't killed any of them yet, has he?"

"No, but he's crippled a few. Don't get me wrong, those guys deserved it. He just needs to be more careful. Going up against crime bosses with a lot of money can be difficult because of the system that we have. They get anything on him and things will get hairy very quickly, so I stress the need to exercise caution," Sonny reminded.

"On that we agree. Here I'll pull up his current location on the tracker," Bulma said as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small white tablet with a blue screen and antenna on top. She turned it on and two light blue dots appeared on the screen.

"Ah you're in luck, he's pretty close by. I'll call his cell here in a minute," Bulma said.

"You have your kids low jacked?" Sonny asked.

"We've run into enough problems where we couldn't find each other. Verto fought it a bit until I gave him just a cell phone with GPS installed into it. Trunks has a microchip in his gloves so he doesn't have to wear a bracelet or something. You know kids and how they want to protect their image," Bulma said with a shrug.

"Still it's pretty nice. Ever consider making a few thousand of those for the GPF? We could use several for the parole violators.

"I'll think about it, I've got enough projects going on around here." A loud squeal pulled their attention as Bulla bounced into the room, with Vegeta following behind.

He promptly gave Sonny a nod, "Detective."

Sonny grimaced, _Of course __he__ would be the one to get it right._ Another loud sound broke the thought process, coming this time from Sonny's cell phone inside his jacket.

"Satsu. What? Why is that bank open already, were they waiting for the manager to open the door or something? Fine I'll be right there, call all local officers in. I don't care who you have to wake up!"

Bulma's eyebrow went up, "Problem?"

"It seems we have a bank robbery in progress, even at this hour. Since I'm the second highest ranking officer in the region, I have to go deal with it. I don't suppose your husband could rush over there and handle things quickly?" Sonny hinted.

Vegeta's eyes darted to the right, "That's hardly necessary. My son won't even break a sweat with those cretins." Bulma glanced at her new radar as one of the blips suddenly turned around and moved south and west.

"Damn it, I should get him a set of headphones so he doesn't hear the alarms," Bulma noted in disgust.

Sonny chuckled, "Well at least it'll be quick."

* * *

><p>Trunks quickly turned around and shot towards the sound of the bank alarms. He had nearly missed it due to the distance between him and the south side of town. The police sirens were easier to hear from where he was though, so he knew something was up when there were suddenly multiple flashing lights racing south. He arrived just as the police were setting up their lines outside the bank. He literally dropped in and startled them, but they relaxed slightly once they recognized him.<p>

"What's going on?" Trunks asked.

The Sergeant was busily strapping on body armor, "Hostage situation. It seems the perps were waiting for the bank manager to open the doors this morning. What they didn't count on was a state of the art lock on the vault. We think they're trying to cut through while keeping the manager at gun point. Can you help?"

Trunks nodded, "No sweat!" He crossed the police line and was halfway up the stairs when a pudgy man in a suit stumbled out and fell down the stairs.

Trunks realized it was the bank manager and helped him up, "Are you alright? What happened?"

The manager stared at the police line, "You might want to call an ambulance!" Trunks' eyes widened and he rushed inside. Once he entered the building, he found a masked man lying on the floor, whimpering slightly with a large rifle laying a few feet away. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the masked thug had both arms broken and an easily shattered left leg, judging by the noticeable dent just under the knee cap. Trunks kicked the rifle away just in case, but the man was none too eager to even move towards it. He waved the police to come in as he moved on, slanting towards a large set of double doors. He could hear a lot of shouting coming from the vault room and attempted to sense the exact location of each life form present. Gunfire suddenly went off, breaking the glass on the doors and causing the officers to duck down. Shouting was replaced by painful screaming as several bodies suddenly hit the floor. Trunks gulped and levitated upwards to peer through the small window, noticing the hole in the ceiling first.

"Watch out Duke!" one of the remaining thugs managed to shout before his body came flying at the door Trunks was behind. He hit the doorway just right that he didn't go through and dropped to the ground. Trunks carefully repositioned and watched the last thug in the room, Duke, turn circles as if he was trying to pinpoint something.

"Stop moving so fast!" Duke ordered. Trunks' eyes narrowed as he picked up on the fast movement, but it was difficult even for him.

He finally sensed who had beaten him to the scene and sighed heavily, "How does he get here so fast at half strength and while suppressing his power?"

"Who?" The Sergeant asked.

"My brother." Another barrage of bullets went off before the last thug went down, or in this case, flying across the room. He gasped painfully as he slid down the wall opposite the door. A teenaged half-Saiyan with spiky shoulder length hair touched down in front of him, methodically snapping the machine gun that Duke used to have, into pieces as he landed.

Duke looked up at the green and blue martial arts uniform in fear, "You? Oh no!"

"Oh yes. Tell me something, scum. Who put you up to this?" Verto asked.

"No one! It was only me and my crew!" Duke claimed in fright.

"Come on, I wasn't born yesterday. This was too well planned for a bunch of misfits. Now tell me who it was and you'll only get jail time. If you don't, well let's just say that you'll be choking down more pain medication than these other fools combined for a long time," Verto warned.

Duke grinned, "You're bluffing! I know all about you and your friends! You won't hurt me, it goes against your code of honor and stuff!"

Verto grinned, "That's what they all have said, until the pain starts. Most living creatures want to avoid pain, it's a survival reflex. Where shall we start?"

Duke remained defiant, "You won't do anything! Not with the cops right outside and cameras all over the place! Torture wouldn't get you anywhere with me anyway! I've got balls of steel…"

Duke doubled over when Verto's boot slammed into his groin, "No Duke, you don't. But thanks for giving me a place to aim." Duke slumped to his side and appeared to go into a daze as only a slight wheeze escaped his mouth.

Verto shook his head in disgust, "Idiot. Come on in Trunks." Trunks slowly pushed the door open, brushing some loose papers out of its way, as well as the thug who had landed next to the door. The room looked like a tornado had come through with tables, chairs and cabinets strung about randomly. Duke and the rest of his men were scattered into similar painful postures, not one of them spared.

"You were a little rough on them," Trunks noted.

Verto shrugged, "Not really, but it's no less than they deserve. I gave them a warning. I am curious as to who put them up to this. Thugs like these are too stupid to plan it out this well, knowing that someone like you or me might drop in. They usually hit much later in the day."

"Well they clearly didn't plan for you though, how'd you get here so fast?" Trunks asked.

"Call it luck, I usually patrol West City first on Mondays. Not my fault you were slow getting here," Verto said.

"Well I start school today, otherwise I would've been here ten times as fast!" Trunks boasted.

"No, you would've been training with Vegeta by now. By the way, don't drop any teachers from the roof, I may not be fast enough to catch them," Verto reminded.

A groan from Duke pulled their attention as he managed to get to a sitting position, "You little bastard! I'm gonna rip your head off and shit down your…" Verto's foot found his jaw and he slammed into the wall again, completely knocked out.

"Try a different ripped off catch phrase, maybe I'll laugh," Verto spat at him. The doors pushed open as a swarm of police led by Sonny Satsu barged in.

"Ah hell, you didn't kill any of them did you?" he asked.

Verto smirked, "They'll live, painfully. I suspect that these are underlings though, let me know if you need help with the interrogations. I can lend my services."

One of the other thugs popped up as he was being surrounded, "Please arrest me! Anything but that kid again!"

"Looks like we have a volunteer," Verto said as he took a step.

The thug's pants became wet, "I'll tell you anything, just get me away from that kid!" Sonny stared at the begging crook as his officers spread around the room and checked on the rest of them.

"You really have a way with these guys don't you? Anyways I need to speak with you about something I'm working on," Sonny started.

Verto cut him off, "Later, you can find me eighty miles west-northwest of Satan City or about two hundred and fifty miles east of here. If all else fails, call Bulma for the exact location. Come after nightfall." Verto then blasted off through the hole in the ceiling, knocking a few pieces of drywall off as he passed.

Sonny watched him go with a frown, "All business as usual eh?"

Trunks nodded, "Yep, never changes. Run if it ever does."

"Maybe he needs that girl to calm him down some," Sonny suggested.

Trunks went pale, "You probably shouldn't mention her around him, like ever."

"Why is that? The two were damn near inseparable before. Did something happen?"

Trunks gulped again, "Yeah, that's one way of putting it."

* * *

><p>Mid-Afternoon in Satan City was usually uneventful. Today was the exception for one woman that was desperately fleeing from a would-be mugger.<p>

She found herself in a dark alley barely illuminated by the sun. "What do you want from me?!" she screamed.

The crooked man grinned, showing some missing teeth as he pulled out his knife, "Guess."

"You want my purse? Take it, all of my money is in there. Easily a thousand zeni!" she claimed. She threw it to him, but he brushed it aside and advanced instead, twirling his blade in his hand.

"No, I don't want your stinking money bitch, just you," the man claimed.

The woman screamed for all she was worth, which only made the man laugh, "So you gonna give up the goods or is this gonna get messy?"

"No! Please no! My husband is rich, he'll pay you to leave me alone!" the woman shouted.

The lowlife scowled, "You think I give two shits about your husband's money lady? I'm only after one thing and only you can give it to me. Now strip, or I'm gonna have to leave a few scratches behind!" The woman continued to scream, only to suddenly stop and gasp as a pair of dark boots followed by light green pants lowered down behind the creepy man.

"Really? You're going to rape a woman in broad daylight? You Satan City bums are getting pretty bold," Verto said. The man turned and tried to stab at Verto's head, but the blade was stopped with a single finger.

"Bad move," Verto warned. Before the man could do anything else, he was thrown hard into the right side wall, where he slumped and passed out.

Verto turned to the surprised woman, "You alright?" She nodded, staring at the limp body of the man who intended her harm.

"Take off, and if this guy ever bothers you again, call this number," Verto said as he handed her a card before launching into the air and leaving them behind. He didn't fly far before he landed on a nearby rooftop that was overseeing a large playground. There were dozens of children present, most of them supervised by a parent or guardian, but not all of them. Those few caught his attention, but only because Verto knew that he wasn't the only one watching them. He spotted a dark van just on the edge of the park and considered taking a closer look. Before he did though, a sudden spike in nearby Ki energy grabbed his focus. Upon identifying it, he relaxed and continued to stare at the van while the power signal moved towards him. Only when two sets of boots landed on the roof behind did he actually turn around. Verto let out a sigh when he saw the turban and shades decorating one of them and a helmet with a heart on it for the other.

"Honestly, is it really worth the disguise at this point?"

Gohan shrugged, "Maybe not, but it's still stylish."

Verto snorted at this, "Really making some assumptions there."

Gohan grimaced while Videl took the chance to change the subject, "How's the patrol today?"

"One bank robbery stopped, one rapist dropped, but otherwise quiet. I've got some intel about a creep that likes kids a little too much and he hangs around this place. I suspect he'll turn up when it's busy, like now," Verto said as he glanced over the playground.

Videl looked thoughtful, "Well there have been a few missing children reports recently, but all of them came back as runaways. You think there's really a child predator on the loose?"

"There's always one somewhere, I'll find him," Verto said in low tone.

"Not to change the lovely topic, but my dad was wondering if you'd come by the dojo today," Videl said.

"I take it he wants my opinion on a trainee? I'll head there once I'm finished with my route for the day," Verto replied.

"He kinda needs you there before three. That's when his advanced class is. We just finished school for the day so we can keep an eye on things until you get back," Videl suggested, earning a nod from Gohan.

Verto cast an eye up at the taller half-Saiyan, "Dark gray van at the end of the street. Don't let it out of your sight and nothing unless he grabs a kid and drives off."

Gohan nodded, "I know."

"Thanks, I'll be back soon," Verto said as he flew off, leaving the married couple in the dust.

"He sure takes things seriously, more than he used to," Videl pointed out as they watched him go.

"Losing Lenz hurt him so much that he felt the need to close himself up considerably. Because of the person he is, he also feels the need to keep busy. Having some of his power sealed away didn't help matters. But in a way, I think he's happier like this," Gohan said.

Videl stared at him, "How so?"

Gohan smiled, "Even though he appears to be very closed up with his feelings, he's also very focused on doing what's right and stopping what's wrong. Before, he didn't do much other than train, now he helps others every day. I think it's his way of coping with the loss and I think Lenz would've been proud of him for it. After all, you want to live for your friends, even if they're not here with you."

"That makes sense I guess. I kind of miss the endless sarcasm and occasional dirty jokes, but if he's happy it's fine with me," Videl said with a shrug.

Gohan nodded, "Well I don't think the sarcasm has gone anywhere, but otherwise I agree, I think it's for the best."

* * *

><p>Hercule Satan was meditating along in his dojo when Verto landed outside. It was a very large building with various pictures of Satan plastered all around the walls. In the far corner was an array of exercise equipment, but despite the sheer number of machines, it still only took up about a fourth of the dojo. Satan had spared no expense building it alongside his rebuilt mansion after the Zerg War. Finding enough trainees to fund it was a bit of a problem initially, but things had rebounded as of late. When Verto had come to him about joining forces so to speak, Satan had been quite anxious to begin advertising. What he didn't realize was that because so many normal people looked down on Verto and up to him, he would have to handle most of the workload. He didn't mind training others all the way up from the most basic steps of martial arts, but it did hamper his free time. That and people still had trouble believing that anything involving energy was not a cheap parlor trick. Satan sighed, still regretting his own words from long ago. He got up and straightened his white sash as Verto walked in.<p>

Verto frowned at the empty room, "I thought you had class soon?"

Satan could sense the agitation already, "In about an hour actually. I wanted to ask you for some help teaching, not the advanced stuff."

Verto frowned, "Look, I told you that it's better for you to handle the martial arts aspect. They don't take me seriously."

"I don't think it's just that, I think they're also just afraid of you. You were kind of rough on that first batch," Satan pointed out.

Verto snorted, "Some of them deserved it. They connect with you better than they do me. You're their hero, so they'll follow you off a cliff."

Satan nodded, "True, but I'm not nearly as skilled with energy techniques as you and Gohan. Heck, I'm an amateur myself by comparison."

Verto grimaced, "Most of them aren't ready for that. They're not disciplined enough and frankly there's a few that would probably abuse it."

"And that's exactly why I need you, to help pass on those morals. Most of these guys won't make it all the way anyway, but there are several that are very promising. I'll even pay you if you want. You know, hire you on as an instructor or something. It's the least I can do after you helped me with that whole Jaguar thing," Satan suggested.

Verto snorted again, "If I recall, it was more of you helping me a little, if you can call it that. Is that rich nutcase still pitching a fit?"

Satan looked smug, "No, I doubt that old midget will bother either of us again. Not after what you did to all those bio-fighter things he let loose. I'm just glad he didn't have access to something truly powerful."

Verto's eyes narrowed, "Yeah I suppose." _There's another timeline change that should be positive._

Satan looked at him eagerly, "So, will you teach?"

Verto's eyebrow went up, "Alright, I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask."

"Consider asking Yamcha or Tien as well, they probably aren't doing much. They have more experience with basic martial arts than I do. And they're a bit more human too."

Satan chuckled, "Heh, well I suppose you're right about that. Thanks for stopping by. There's food in the mansion if you want some."

"Tempting, but I've got somewhere to be," Verto said as he stepped away to the door.

Satan watched him go, _Hard to believe that's the same kid that was so bitter to me a few years ago just before Majin Buu. Then again, a lot has changed since then._

* * *

><p>Verto returned to his rooftop and relieved Gohan and Videl from spy duty. The van hadn't moved according to them, but they did describe a middle-aged man stepping out and watching the children play for a long time. That didn't necessarily mark him as guilty, but it did ring a few suspicious bells. As the sun started to set, the park emptied out. Some of the kids rode off on bicycles, and others were taken home by parents. The old man yet to leave though and Verto caught him inching ever so closely to the few remaining stragglers that were likely waiting for a ride home. He paced slightly until he saw the man wave a boy of around eight or nine over to him. They appeared to talk quietly for a long time before the man took the kid by the hand towards his van. Verto's pacing abruptly stopped and he waited anxiously until the child climbed into the back of the van.<p>

_Yep, that's the guy, I'm sure of it. I'll have to try not to kill this one._ He quickly took off into the air, moving just above the van and hovering there. The van shifted a bit, signaling a lot of movement inside. Verto touched down lightly on the van's roof and listened carefully. He could sense a large amount of tension in the air, and quite a bit of fear.

"I said hold still, or you won't get any candy!" an older, adult voice said.

"You're hurting me! My mom said no one can touch me there without my permission. My dad will kick your butt!" the child shouted.

"Well you'd better give me permission then, or you'll never see your parents again!" Verto's eyes filled with anger and he punched a hole through the roof before grabbing onto the metal and peeling it back like tin foil. The surprised old man inside looked up, giving Verto a very clear view of what he had been doing.

"I suggest you put your pants back on, that way they'll soak up the shit you're about to drop into them," Verto growled.

He then gave the younger boy a distinct glare, "You, home, now!" The boy scampered out of the van and took off running without looking back. The child predator attempted to pull Verto down by his leg, only to be kicked in the head and sent sprawling across the van. Verto lowered into the van as the evil man was quite dazed from the impact of his light kick.

"Tell me, are you right handed or left handed?" Verto asked.

The man struggled to get to his knees as the world was spinning for him, "Uh, right?"

Verto grimaced, "Here I'll clear your head for you." He promptly stomped on the man's left shin, shattering both bones instantly.

The man screamed in agony, "Left! Left! I'm left handed!"

Verto snorted, "Good, now I've got your attention. Listen up…"

* * *

><p>Sonny Satsu sipped some coffee as he looked over a stack of police reports provided by the Satan City precinct. The man on the other side of the desk, a Lieutenant, folded his arms in disgust.<p>

"Lieutenant Reese, how many cases of these are we up to now?" Sonny asked.

"That's five in the last week, all of them seem to be chosen at random," Reese replied.

Sonny rubbed his chin a bit, "Pepper City has had eight reports. Have there been any leads or witnesses?"

Reese shook his head, "Nothing concrete. A few vague reports of hearing a noise and a backdoor being left open, but no trace evidence nor any signs of struggle. It's as if these people just up and left their lives behind for no reason."

"The exact same situation. Globally it adds up to about thirty-six vanishing cases, and those are the ones that we know about. Definitely not a coincidence," Sonny said as he put down his empty coffee cup.

"I don't suppose you can pull some strings and get us some more manpower to handle this? Just today I had to pull my best off a child predator case and we were on the verge of an arrest," Reese mentioned with a low tone.

Sonny glanced at him before his eyes returned to the paperwork, "I'll see what I can do. You'd think it would be easier to transfer a few bodies from another precinct after the merger. Damn unions, sometimes they're not so good to have."

Another officer suddenly barged into the office, "Lieutenant Reese, you need to see this!"

Reese and Sonny got up and walked out, following the officer outside. There, among a cluster of uniformed men, was an older man that looked like he had gotten into a fist fight with a bear and somehow lived to tell the tale. He was shaking in general shock while the EMTs administered first aid. His right arm was covered in deep welts that looked like small impact spots going from shoulder to finger. By the way he was holding it, each impact spot represented where bones were broken. Both of his legs had also been treated equally rough. Both sides of his head were swollen and bruised with blood leaking out of his temple and nose. Only his left hand and arm appeared to be alright, though it was hard to tell.

The first officer handed Reese a note, "We found this on him Lieutenant."

Reese took the paper and quickly started reading it, "This is a confession note."

"Isn't this the guy we've been tracking for all the local child molestation reports?" the officer asked in realization. Reese's eyes widened once he got a better look at the man, or rather, what was left of him as he whimpered a response.

"So, Mister Stevens, who saved us all the trouble?" Reese asked, "I doubt you would've turned yourself in without some convincing." Sonny examined the injuries from a few feet away, but he already had a fairly good idea why and how this suspect ended up on their doorstep.

Reese frowned when Stevens didn't answer, "Well, are you going to tell us who did this, or should I just go with your handwritten confession?" Stevens grumbled slightly and pointed to the note with a nod.

Reese's patience ran thin, "Speak up. Use words we can all understand like any other grown adult."

Sonny noticed a fair bit of swelling around Steven's face and bent down to look closer, "Sir, open up your mouth." Stevens hesitated, but did so. Several sets of eyes popped open before one of the other officers promptly lost his lunch. The inside of the child predator's mouth was a bloody and burnt mess. Multiple teeth were missing or hanging and his whole tongue had been scorched black.

Reese's nose wrinkled in disgust, "Looks like we have a vigilante on our hands. This scum is lucky to be alive."

Sonny stood back up, fanning the burnt smell away from him, "I don't think luck had anything to do with it." He glanced at his watch briefly, drawing the gaze of Reese.

"I don't suppose you know who might've done this? One of your special forces contacts maybe?" Reese asked blatantly.

Sonny grimaced, "Maybe. Consider your case closed, you've got your suspect."

As Sonny began to walk away, Reese gave chase, "What if this creep presses charges? These injuries are well above simple assault and battery. This would be one hell of a case."

Sonny stopped and glanced at old man Stevens, "True, it would create a hell of a stir everywhere. I guess he could do that. That would virtually assure that he would see his attacker again." Stevens went white in the face and frantically shook his head from side to side.

Sonny smirked, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

* * *

><p>Well after dark, Sonny drove his car up a wide, beaten dirt path, taking care not to hit any wild animals. There was almost nothing but forest around him, and the path wasn't exactly a straight line either. He silently wished his superiors had supplied him with a hovercraft, but that had yet to be approved despite how much easier his days would then become. His headlights eventually illuminated a large clearing and two buildings in the middle. The smaller dome shaped one was a Capsule house with the lights on inside. The other was more of an arena or dojo with no walls. Only a large wooden roof about twenty feet off the ground gave it any sort of structure. The tiling around it didn't look complete yet, nor did the flooring.<p>

_Kid's been busy_, Sonny thought to himself. The door of the capsule house opened just as he stopped the car, revealing Verto with his arms folded.

"Heard me coming I take it?" Sonny asked.

Verto shrugged, "Sensed actually, but close enough. Come in if you want. What did you need to speak to me about?"

"A few things. First, can I assume it was you that left that pedophile in such a brutal state?" Sonny said.

Verto snorted lightly, "He'll heal eventually, hope he wasn't too butt-hurt about it. I spared him a total beat down so the lowlifes inside had something left to play with."

Sonny grimaced at the tone, "I understand why you did what you did, I would've too if I was the victim's parent. But why rip out his tongue?"

"Technically I burned it," Verto corrected.

"Close enough, there's no tongue left. Isn't that just a little extreme?" Sonny suggested.

Verto's eyes darkened, "Extreme would be sending him to Hell now. I left him with a lesson he won't soon forget."

"How do you figure? He's the repeated offender type. Once he gets out…" Sonny trailed off.

Verto cut in, "If he gets out, he won't be sweet talking any more children now will he? That is a pedophile's strongest weapon, their words against an innocent child that doesn't fully understand when he or she is being misled. From here on, every time he opens his mouth to speak or even looks at a child, he's going to remember what that sick behavior cost him."

Sonny sighed, "I suppose you're right. He wasn't too eager to press any charges. I doubt that would've meant anything to you though."

"Nope."

Sonny frowned, "Look, I get that. You're only trying to do the right thing, but you can't live outside the law like this. Vigilante justice is not the answer. You'll only ruffle the feathers of the higher-ups and it will come back to bite you someday. Their money and influence will turn everyone against you and your family. I realize they may not be able to do much to you physically, but they can push you mentally until you break and lash out. That's all it would take to turn the world against you, your family and your friends. I don't want to see that happen."

Verto's arms unfolded for a brief moment, "Only the really corrupt would want to go there out of fear. Fear of losing their power."

"And I suppose you're purer than clear water?" Sonny countered.

"Hardly. Let's just say that I've seen a society that is far more deprived than this one. But the signs are coming. Maybe it's because there hasn't been much room for evil people lately and it's a long overdue tipping of the scales. There is a lingering stench of corruption that's been here since a certain incident prior to the Zerg War and it's gotten worse. I don't intend to let it fester."

Sonny stared at him, "You make it sound as if you can control what happens, like a god or something."

Verto frowned and folded his arms again, "First off, gods are overrated. Second, no, I don't want to be one. Like you, I want to do the right thing. Letting scumbags like that work the system and walk free isn't how I roll. I'm sure you would do the same thing if our roles were reversed."

"Well, I don't know if I would or not. But I'd like to believe that I would, within reason and by cooperating with the proper authorities," Sonny said sternly.

"This coming from the hostage taker?" Verto countered quickly.

Sonny threw his hands up, "Okay, you've got me there. Look, just be careful not to go overboard. If you're not, one of these creeps may actually grow a set and push back. Super strength or not, that won't be pretty and it could potentially bring down your whole group of friends and family."

Verto nodded, "I suppose there are a few dumb ones left that could try. Hate to see what happens to the one who tries to arrest Vegeta though."

Sonny cringed, "Good point. That being said, have you heard anything about missing people?"

"A few news headlines, no real leads though. Need some help with it?" Verto offered.

"Not yet, but I'll let you know. We haven't had much of any evidence either. It's as if they've just packed up and left, without any luggage. As of today, there's been thirty-six seemingly random disappearances scattered across the globe."

"That's well past a coincidence. You have my cell number so call if you need help. Bulma has a signal locator installed on this phone, so I'll be able to trace the location if needs be."

Sonny looked impressed, "Your mother certainly goes out of her way to keep track of you and Trunks."

"Adopted mother, and yes, it's a little annoying. But when your kids can fly around the world in less than an hour or two, yeah. Good night Detective," Verto said as he showed him out. Sonny gave him a final nod as he walked towards his car. Once inside, he noticed his phone had a new text message. He opened it up, noticing it was from his cousin Marcus.

It only had one odd word: "_REDIC_".

"Shit," Sonny muttered. As he drove away, Verto watched him go from the window, concerned about the sudden hint of distress he sensed.

**A/n: And we're off with Saga 8. And yes there were quite a few future lost chapter references put in here.**


	3. 8-2

**I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. Nor do I own any legal imprinting of whatever theme I'm using, such as a crossover with another anime, movie or TV series. Did I think it up? Yes. Was I the first to think it up? Probably not, but I digress. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just the merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.**

**Chapter 2: Missing Persons**

Trunks flew quietly towards Satan City the next morning, ignoring the one alarm he heard. He had already sensed Verto in the area and knew that he didn't need to bother checking it out. His first day of school had been as boring as expected despite having Goten along. The sight of a few upper-class bullies gave him some hope, but so far they weren't interested in bugging him. _Maybe I should just attach some money to a string and go fishing._

Most of his class were around the same age as him, with a few younger like Goten. Thankfully, almost none of them recognized either of them, though Trunks guessed that the parents might've kept their kids out of the fighting arenas. All of them knew and worshipped Mr. Satan though, making Trunks feel like throwing up. The teachers weren't all that great at lecturing and just gave them a lot of basic learning books to go through. Trunks blew through each one before classes were over, and then nearly nodded off to sleep. Even during the math session he came close to snoring, despite it being his best subject. They were doing very basic addition and subtraction, something even Goten found easy. The math teacher even went through the trouble of setting up various problems to solve and then asking for volunteers. Trunks considered walking up to the chalkboard and setting a few speed records but decided against it. While he wasn't concerned about keeping his identity in check, he didn't feel like causing a ruckus either. It wasn't clear if the teachers and faculty knew who he was besides his name, but he didn't want to press the issue and cause trouble.

There was one other boy in class that seemed to be as bored as he was, but it didn't appear to be because of the easy school work. Trunks could sense a level of uneasiness from this boy, whose name was Tommy Reks. He didn't intrude on whatever might've been bugging Tommy, but that changed during recess. Trunks and Goten were sitting off to the side of the playground eating what was left of their lunch when things broke down. Tommy was on the opposite side, sitting under a tree and holding his knees when one of the upper classmen came up and grabbed him up by the shirt collar, pushing him against the tree.

"Well where is it?" the bully asked.

Tommy looked away, "Where is what?"

"Don't play dumb you little twerp! Gimme my lunch money! I can't get my lunch without it. And if I don't get my lunch, you're not going to make it back inside!" The bully punched his other palm to try and appear more threatening.

"I don't have it, leave me alone!" Tommy said as he tried to leave.

"Wrong answer!" the bully punched Tommy hard in the gut, putting him on the ground.

Trunks dropped his sandwich and got up, drawing a look of concern from Goten, "What's wrong Trunks?" Trunks jerked his thumb towards the bully, who was kicking Tommy in the side while he lay helpless on the ground.

"Oh, but our Moms don't want us to get in trouble. Aren't the teachers supposed to stop that?" Goten asked. Trunks eyed the few adults at the school door and noticed that they didn't have a clear view. They were also not paying attention, though there weren't any painful yelps or screams for them to hear. Trunks shook his head slightly before darting across the grassy playground. He yanked the bully's shirt and pulled him down into his back, though he landed on his side.

The bully snarled and scrambled up, "What the? Who in the hell has a death…wish?"

He gasped when he saw Trunks' glare, "I-I don't want any t-trouble!"

Trunks smirked much like his father, "You should've thought about that before picking on someone weaker than you are. Maybe you want a taste of your own medicine?" The bully scampered to his feet and took off running in utter fear. Trunks scowled, _Stupid gorilla coward._

Trunks helped Tommy up to his feet, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, thanks," Tommy said with a scornful tone. He brushed himself off a bit before walking away, albeit a bit gingerly.

Trunks stared at this rude reaction before chasing after him, "Hey wait up. What's wrong? I just saved your butt ya know!"

Tommy stopped momentarily, "It's not your business. Why does it matter to you?"

"Well, I could just let you get beat up next time," Trunks suggested.

Goten walked up from behind, "Trunks! That's mean!"

Tommy glared at them both, "It's not going to make a difference. That guy will be back tomorrow when you're not around. Just like yesterday."

"No he won't, we're the anti-bully crew! Stick with us and you've got nothing to worry about!" Trunks boasted.

Goten nodded, "Yeah! No one messes with us!"

Tommy finally managed to smile, "I guess it couldn't hurt. I'm all alone anyway, both here and at home."

Trunks turned his head slightly, "Wait, you don't have any parents?"

Tommy shook his head, "I have parents but they're gone. I don't know where they went or when they'll be back." He then looked up and drew back a bit.

"What is it?" Trunks asked. A throat cleared behind them, causing Trunks and Goten to turn in question. The big bully was back, and had been joined by several of his friends who were of similar size.

The leader stuck his chest out a bit, "So, you think you can just move onto my turf? What do you think now?"

"I think the big dumb gorilla doesn't know when to quit," Trunks replied calmly.

"Wait, who's the gorilla? They all look kind of big," Goten pointed out.

"Ha, who's the dumb one now? All these guys will be on the varsity offensive line next year when we go to Orange Star High. You can go crying to your mommies anytime you want," the lead bully suggested.

Trunks cracked his knuckles, "Someone will be, but I don't think it'll be us!"

* * *

><p>Bulma sighed slightly as she listened to the phone, "Alright, either me or his father will come get him." After she hung up, she pulled out a capsule case and looked through it before grabbing a blue one and setting it out on her desk.<p>

She glanced at the door to her lab with a slightly annoyed look, "How exactly did I let you talk your way out of babysitting Trunks at school?"

Verto shrugged under the doorway, "Beats me. But, I did give you enough potential reasons."

"I would like to think you'd have enough sense not to get yourself expelled on the first day," Bulma said.

Verto smirked, "I might have waited a week. What did he do wrong this time?"

"He beat up a group of teenagers that were notorious bullies."

"So where's the wrong part of the story?"

Bulma rolled her eyes, "He must get it from you. Vegeta!"

Vegeta stepped into view behind Verto, "I'm right here woman, lower your voice. Now what do you want?"

"Go pick up your son from school like any other responsible parent," Bulma said.

"What for? The child flies to and from that idiotic haven for dropouts. I think he can manage," Vegeta claimed.

"Just do it, I've got enough to do around here," Bulma said in exasperation.

Vegeta snorted, "Hmph, fine. Your daughter has escaped the play pen, you might want to address that."

He was gone before Bulma could get another word in, generating a very heavy sigh, "Argh!"

Verto chuckled in amusement, "And you wonder why I live alone out in the woods?"

"I envy you a bit there. Can you stick around? I've got your new computer ready, and a meal if you want it," Bulma offered.

"Sure, I know Bulla's a handful and I'm about out of food capsules anyway," Verto replied.

Bulma appeared to be a mixture of grateful and discouraged, "So you use that as an excuse to visit?"

"I've been busy."

"So I've heard. Let's go find Bulla before she breaks something." They didn't have to go far before they found the half-Saiyan toddler, in full pursuit of a robot nanny that was rolling away towards the kitchen. There was a half-eaten bowl of cereal in the robot's hand, which seemed to have grabbed Bulla's attention before she stopped at Bulma's feet.

"Trunks left his dishes out again. Come on sweetie, I'll fix you something fresh here soon," Bulma said as she scooped up her daughter and walked back to the lab with Verto.

"Ver-ta!" Bulla squealed.

Verto grinned, "You've almost got it kiddo. Another year and I bet she starts carrying conversations."

Bulma groaned, "I hope not. It's already a pain to keep language filters with Vegeta around. Don't you be teaching her any words!"

Verto held his hands up, "Hey I know when to hold back."

"You'd better, anyways I made some modifications to the program. There is a constant uplink to the server in the bunker though. That and I didn't want to give it remote access to anything without my safeguards in place. The program shouldn't go haywire this time, but I still don't trust it completely. After all, Flandal tried to kill us with it. I'm more surprised that you specifically asked for it. It's not like there's a giant robot on the loose or anything," Bulma explained.

"Consider it a promise kept. Just because it's an AI doesn't mean we should treat it any different than a regular person. It only asked me to exist and now I'm giving it a purpose," Verto stated.

Bulma frowned, "And what's that? So you can responded to play hero a few seconds faster?"

Verto grimaced, "It's not about playing hero. A lot of these guys need to be put behind bars. I'm just doing what needs to be done."

"But who are you to decide that? I get that you're only trying to do the right thing, I really do. But at what cost?" Bulma argued.

Verto shifted slightly, "I'm not going to turn villain if that's what you mean."

"But that's how it starts for some of them. If you get drawn in and obsessed with your work! Look at what happened with Flandal Cash. I don't want to see you go down that road," Bulma claimed.

"I'm not going to turn out like Doctor Wheelo and end up dying stuck inside a rusting hunk of metal buried under a mountain of ice and snow. You worry too much."

"I'm a mother, it's my job to worry," Bulma pointed out.

"Well don't. Taking down scumbags isn't the only thing I'm doing," Verto reassured her.

"Training doesn't count."

"Training others. Satan offered me a job as an instructor at his dojo, as part of our deal," Verto said, with a noticeable scowl of annoyance.

"You should take it. I would really prefer that over doing all of the police's work for them," Bulma claimed.

"I'm considering it, he wanted me especially for the ethical part of teaching. I'm not sure I have enough patience for it."

"You don't, but since you won't sit back and enjoy a second childhood or go to school, it will have to do. I would much rather you be doing something constructive like that instead of trying to solve everyone else's problems."

Verto sighed, "Alright, you win. I'll take the job, but I still want the KAIN program."

Bulma handed him the blue capsule she had set out, "Deal."

Verto held it up and eyed it closely, "What specific changes did you make anyway?"

"The aggressive subroutines are gone, as are any of Flandal's safeguards to prevent us from using it against him. Not that it matters now of course," Bulma said.

"Well, better to be on the safe side, I watched him transfer his brain out of a body and into the robot fairly quickly. He seemed like the annoying type that doesn't easily go away," Verto said in a low tone.

"It's been over a year since that happened. I wouldn't think he would keep his head down for that long," Bulma proclaimed.

Verto's eyes shifted sideways, "Probably not, but I would feel better about it if Vegeta had wiped the robot out completely."

"Buried under all that ice and snow, I doubt anyone would've survived for long, especially if it was already losing power and falling apart. You could always go check it out," Bulma suggested.

"I suppose so, but after a year its unlikely to find the battle site easily, given the area will have been through its summer and winter cycle. Whatever might be left would take a long time to find. But on the other hand I do have a lot of time," Verto said as his legs started to twitch a bit.

Bulma recognized it as an anxious sign, "You're not having regrets are you?"

Verto sighed heavily, "I just don't want my mistakes to come back and cause trouble. Whether that means protecting someone I shouldn't have, or not dealing with a problem as efficiently as I should have. Because of what happened with Lenz at the time last year, I didn't pursue Wheelo to make sure, I left it to Vegeta. I didn't finish off Frost and I probably should have. I'm not sure if I made the right call not going off with the Guardians and giving up my powers like I did. It felt right as I chose to stay here, but I get this feeling that I might come to regret it someday if another threat comes and I can't fight it. And don't get me started with that demon. That was one mistake I don't care to repeat."

"Mistakes are part of life. Sometimes we don't have to face them and sometimes we do. Judgment calls like that are hard because you can't always see the outcome of those choices. All you can do is do your best and hope you made the right decision," Bulma said.

Verto nodded, "Yeah, I suppose."

Bulma smiled, "Well maybe this can help a little with those decisions." She handed him a folded white device just a little bigger than his hand.

"What's this?" Verto said as he was tempted to open it.

"A remote scanner and communications unit that goes with the program. It'll allow you to use Kain anywhere around the world, even if the whole computer inside the blue capsule is powered off. It's also up-linked to the servers here. I figured that you might as well have a mobile device just in case you're in a situation," Bulma explained.

Verto gave her a confused look, "And you don't want me playing hero?"

"Well, I guess I'm just covering the bases, again, as you would say. It's not like you'll stop just because I ask you."

"Might as well just upgrade my cell phone."

"I considered that, but the signal for that is very spotty and unreliable underground or while at Kami's Lookout. Plus I know you have a nasty little habit of leaving it behind," Bulma said with a scornful expression.

Verto put his hands up defensively, "Hey it's been awhile since I actively carried one. Besides, I'm not wearing a bracelet or whatever you made Trunks do."

"I bugged his gloves, he wouldn't wear the bracelet. Speaking of which, we could always go back to the tracking chip idea if you want," Bulma offered.

"No thanks, I like my freedom. I would hope you didn't bug this so big sister can watch and listen?"

"GPS only, I'll respect your privacy, since you've respected ours. I doubt you'd want me eavesdropping on a night alone with a pretty girl," Bulma said with a wink.

Verto rolled his eyes, "Not really no. You mentioned this being a scanner, what will that cover?"

Bulma quickly got back to the point, "Just about anything regarding electronics and energy. So kind of like a scanner as well. It can also scan surfaces and identify composition. It has both infrared and thermal imaging functions. It can't see through walls though."

"Nice, you really went all out on this."

Bulma shrugged, "Well if you're going to equip a spy, you might as well go all the way. I suppose you'll want a secret decoder ring now."

"I think I'm good with this, no need to get too far above 'away team' status. Hopefully I won't need to use it that much," Verto said.

"Away team, which show reference is that again?" Bulma asked, confused.

"The one with humans flying through space, visiting other planets, pointed ears and other examples of aggressive alien species bent on conquering the galaxy," Verto answered vaguely as he turned to leave.

"You sure like your science fiction, maybe you should write a book," Bulma suggested.

"Ha, yeah right. Enough random crap happens to me already, I don't think it would be very believable," Verto said.

"Well you could always write it later in life. I can see you want to play with the new toy, have fun with your scanner. Don't forget to plug it into the computer to charge the battery every night. Come by later for more food capsules. See you!"

Verto nodded and moved to leave, "Thanks for the tech."

Once he was gone, Bulma sighed again, "Now to deal with my other son."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this Marcus? It isn't much of a lead," Sonny Satsu said as he rode in the passenger seat.<p>

Marcus nodded grimly as he drove the vehicle, "I realize that, but why else would someone visit this place and then vanish the day after? We at least have to ask the question, isn't that proper procedure?"

Sonny frowned, "We're not likely to get anything without a warrant, innocent or guilty."

Marcus returned the expression, "Hey, the man's son no longer has a parent because of this."

Sonny gave in, "Alright, but let me do the questioning."

The two cousins were driving through the streets of Satan City early in the morning, chasing down a lead that Marcus had come across regarding missing people. Sonny was skeptical since his cousin had just been assigned to the police force not long ago. He himself had pulled some big strings in order to get Marcus into his division shortly before the merger happened. At the moment though, he was starting to regret that as his cousin was a bit trigger happy in any investigation. Upon them was a large building spanning several city blocks with an even wider security wall around it. The business was known as REDIC, which was short for Robotic Enhancement and Development Industries Corporation. Aside from robotics research, they were also well known for medical areas as they handled development and surgical implantation of artificial implants and body parts for the disabled. Sonny glanced through his file folder briefly to see if any of the missing people had any association with REDIC. To his surprise, there were six of them that had made an appointment shortly before they were reported missing.

Marcus noticed the file but kept his eyes on the road, "Strange isn't it? All six with debilitating conditions that require implant replacement surgery just happen to go missing."

"I'll admit that it is a bit more than a coincidence, but that doesn't explain the other thirty. Most of them were reported to be quite healthy," Sonny pointed out.

"And the upstart company REDIC comes into town just a few days before the first disappearance," Marcus continued.

"I see where you're going with this cousin, but we have to go by the book with this one. At least until we know what's what," Sonny warned.

Marcus scowled, "Yeah, I know." They pulled up at the security gate, which prompted a uniformed guard to come out of his booth to greet them.

"This is a secure location gentlemen. If you want an appointment, you'll have to call during operating hours," the guard said.

"You're not already open? It looks busy to me," Marcus said as he looked towards all the cars.

"We are not a grocery store that is open for business the minute people show up. This is a research facility, you'll have to come back when you make an appointment. It is against policy to allow just anyone to come inside and look around," the guard recited as if he had a rule book in front of him.

"We're police officers. I think you can move the appointment process along a little faster," Marcus said with a raised voice.

"You could be the king of the world and it wouldn't change a thing."

Sonny finally pulled out his badge and flashed it to the guard, "Detective Satsu, when does your facility open up for the day?"

The guard backed off, "Operating hours are eight to five. The project director should be here by nine if you have any questions."

Marcus glanced at him, "How did…"

Sonny quickly cut him off, "Thank you, we will return this afternoon to see him. Let's go Marcus." Marcus stared at him blankly for a moment before turning the car around and leaving the area.

Once they were on the road he was full of questions, "Okay, what was that all about?"

"You were right, this place has something to do with our missing people. As soon as I said my name his tone changed, as if we were expected," Sonny pointed out.

"Yeah, I noticed that, but that security guard, there was something about him," Marcus said.

"He was one of the missing reports, probably that kid's father," Sonny said plainly. Marcus stared at him intently before Sonny held the file up, showing that he was correct.

"We have to call this in then right? If we're going by the book that is."

"Not yet. We'll play along and meet with this project director first, get the lay of the land. For all we know, that guy may have wanted to go off the grid for his new job. I doubt it, but until we have more answers than questions, our hands are tied."

Marcus grimaced and kept driving, "Was that one of the guys on the surgery list?"

Sonny glanced down, "Yes actually. It says he was waiting for…knee and hip replacement?"

Marcus' eyes widened in confusion, "He looked just fine for a cripple. And rehab for something like that would take a while wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, we'll come back later, after we copy these photos. I have a funny feeling about this," Sonny said.

Marcus nodded, "And I have a bad one."

* * *

><p>Bulma scowled as she gave her son one of the meanest expressions in her arsenal, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"<p>

"Sorry?" Trunks guessed.

Bulma's scowl deepened, "You'd better be sorry, you put six kids into the hospital!"

Trunks winced at her tone, "They were bullies, and they deserved it. Besides they attacked me, all I did was defend myself. I didn't hurt them that badly."

"They all have broken jaws and broken ribs! I would hope you could control yourself better than that Trunks! Or would you rather be a brainless brute like your father?!" Bulma screeched. Vegeta rolled his eyes and shook his head from the wall behind her, staying quiet.

Bulma's tirade was far from over, "We'll be lucky if there isn't a lawsuit after this is over! I suppose you're going to tell me that they wanted your lunch money too?"

Trunks shook his head, "No, they were picking on someone else and I stopped them."

"How noble of you, but that's the teacher's job!"

"They weren't there, besides Tommy likes keeping to himself and staying isolated," Trunks argued.

Bulma frowned deeper, "So, this Tommy is an outcast that the bullies all targeted?"

"I guess. Well only one of them beat up Tommy before I stopped him. Then he ran off and got the others." Bulma glanced at Vegeta for input, but the Saiyan Prince was long gone from disinterest.

She sighed, "I see, well either way, you're the one in trouble with the school. Since they requested it, you'll serve the suspension at home. But you're very much grounded!"

Trunks stared at the ground, "Fine."

"Now go do your homework and stay in your room until dinnertime!"

Trunks looked flustered, "Okay the homework is done, but whatever. Can you do me a favor?"

Bulma's hand grasped her hips, "A little late for that isn't it?"

"I mean can you call Tommy's house and make sure he made it home okay? I was going to walk him home but then Dad showed up."

"I'm sure Tommy's parents appreciate your help but they probably drive him to and from school," Bulma said nonchalantly.

Trunks stared at her, "Well, Tommy said his parents haven't been home. That they just disappeared and he hasn't heard from them." Bulma was slightly taken aback by this as Trunks walked up the stairs towards his room.

After a few seconds she started after him, "Trunks, what's Tommy's last name?"

"Reks, I think."

Bulma looked thoughtful as she watched him go into his room, _Reks? Where did I hear that name?_ She marched off towards the lab, only to stop abruptly upon the TV room, where Vegeta was cycling through the channels to find the news.

Once he did find it, he put the remote down as the anchor covered the top stories, "_…And the calls continue to come into the Global Police Force regarding missing persons. The latest case is a missing Mom named Jean Thompson of Satan City. Her husband was unavailable for comment. This following the double report from the Reks household, where both Mary and Taylor Reks disappeared last week, leaving their son Tommy desperately wondering where his parents are._ _The GPF is also investigating the case of a bank robbery suspect that has mysteriously escaped the West City lockup this morning..._." Bulma's eyes narrowed at the broadcast before she moved on. She pulled out her cell phone for a moment before putting it away, deep in thought.

* * *

><p>Sonny and Marcus Satsu waited until mid-afternoon before returning to the REDIC facility, where they found the same guard waiting at the security gate.<p>

"Officer Satsu, the director has been awaiting your arrival. Proceed forward, take the first left to find the main lot. There will be a guide waiting at the front desk."

Sonny gave him a nod, "Thank you."

Marcus gave his cousin a glance before driving forward, "You didn't correct him about being a Detective."

"No need to be unpleasant yet. I think that was definitely Taylor Reks though. His wife Mary must be inside somewhere. We'll keep our eyes open."

Marcus frowned, "What could be keeping him here and not at least going home to his son?"

Sonny had a similar expression, "No idea, but we're going to find out."

"We should've brought backup," Marcus suggested.

"Not without concrete proof. You know the district Chief won't budge without real evidence."

Marcus turned left a bit sharp, "But you're one of the global officers that rank above him. Can't you just override?"

Sonny folded his arms, "Not exactly. Outside of my home precinct, South City, I can't issue an order like that unless the local Chief agrees, which in this case is Lieutenant Reese. And Reese is not that easily convinced without solid reason and facts, he's an old veteran."

Marcus gritted his teeth, "What a load of shit."

Sonny rolled his eyes, "Not all divisions are run by a military chain of command, you'd be wise to remember that." Marcus parked in an empty spot near the back, though most of the lot was already empty compared to the busy impression it had earlier that day.

He was reaching for his pistol when Sonny shook his head, "No arms."

"Really?" Marcus asked in disbelief.

"Not yet. I don't think anything will happen, as far as they know we're only taking a tour and asking questions. We don't need to come into a corporation armed and risk our badges on a guess. I've got a contingency plan in place so relax," Sonny said.

Marcus grimaced, "That doesn't inspire any confidence."

Sonny snorted at his cousin, "A detective needs to be patient. It's no different than lining up a shot on a sniper rifle."

"Should've let me bring a rifle, I would've felt better about it."

Sonny shook his head, "Not all police work involves a shootout Marcus." Both Satsus then headed inside through a revolving door, entering a large front lobby covered in clean light blue tiles. The front desk was a darker shade of blue, attended by a young brunette with large glasses.

"Detectives Satsu, Marcus and Sonny, you are right on time. Please wait here for a moment while I contact the director," she said. Sonny nodded and remained quiet, but Marcus noticed something off about the woman.

He glanced over the file folder in his hands quickly before taking a deep breath and asking the question, "Aren't you Jean Thompson?"

The secretary blinked sharply, which was magnified by her glasses, "Pardon? No, I do not know such a person." Sonny eyed his cousin and cleared his throat, but the hint wasn't received.

"How could you not be her? This is a photo of you, isn't it?" Marcus asked as he held up the photo for her to see. The picture was an exact match aside from a difference in clothing. Her current attire was a white and blue jumpsuit with REDIC written on the front and back.

The secretary shook her head, "It is a very good replica, but that is not me. Now excuse me gentleman, I am needed on the second floor. The director will be with you shortly."

Marcus started after her, "But…"

Sonny put an arm up and pulled Marcus back, "Let it go."

"That was definitely Miss Thompson!" he argued.

"Yes I know. I told you, be patient. When we get all the facts we will act on them. Right now we're in no position to do that," Sonny pointed out.

Marcus nodded grimly and watched Miss Thompson leave the room, "We should've questioned the front guard."

"I have a feeling it would've been the same result."

"I don't get it, I thought this place was all about prosthetics for lost limbs. Since when does that include brainwashing?"

"Keep your voice down. And it depends on what they're replacing," Sonny replied, "After the crap I saw last year, I don't rule anything out."

Marcus stared at his cousin in alarm, "You think this could be connected to…" Marcus stopped immediately when someone else came into the room.

"Gentlemen, my apologies for making you wait. Welcome to the REDIC facility. I am Director Schultz." Sonny and Marcus eyed him carefully. He was of average height and build with auburn hair and brown eyes, though his nose was flatter than most. He too had very large glasses, though not as big as Secretary Thompson's had been. He wasn't familiar to either cousin, though that didn't make them any more trusting at this point.

"I assume you must have a lot of questions, Detectives. I shall answer them as best I can. What would you like to know?" Schultz offered.

Sonny glanced through his folder at his actual question list, but didn't use one of those, "Let's start with what your company does and more specifically who they treat."

"If you are referring to the patients that have gone missing, I assure you that is not our doing," Schultz replied. Sonny blinked sharply, clearly not expecting that response.

"Here at REDIC, our goal is the betterment of all mankind through cybernetics and robotics. Many humans are less fortunate than others and require technology to perform even menial tasks. However, most medical treatments for this are inadequate and leave the patient suffering even more. The problem lies with the attempts in combining human physiology and robotic parts. They are simply not compatible since everyone is different. Most doctors would then modify the artificial implants to try and match what is needed. That method is only a temporary fix and will eventually fail with natural aging of both the patient and the prosthetic," Schultz explained. Sonny swallowed the bile in his throat as he suspected what Schultz next was going to say was going to bother him.

"So you attempt to change the person instead?" he asked.

Schultz smiled, "Both actually. By utilizing cloned cells from the patient's own DNA, we are able to synthesize compatible soft tissue to replace what was lost. In the case of a lost limb, the 'hardware' or prosthetic is installed and then covered in the soft tissue layers the patient should've had in the first place. The new body part is then wired into the patient's nervous system and is programmed to function based on the commands it receives from the brain, much like a normal arm or leg. Obviously the artificial body part would be much stronger than the original, but the patient has one hundred percent motor function retained and virtually no pain. Most notably, no one other than the patient will even know it's there, as the artificial limb will appear completely normal. The cosmetic image difference between our method and conventional methods are the most popular benefit with our patients."

Sonny nodded, "Impressive, so you have enough understanding of the human brain to be able to pull this off?"

Schultz's smile didn't fade, "Of course."

Marcus noticed the chance for a question while Sonny went quiet, "So what are your long term company goals?" Sonny glanced at him but didn't say anything to it.

Schultz shifted slightly but kept his grin, "Simplifying the process with the development of micro machinery to help with internal diagnosis and treatments. Losing a limb and replacing it is easy. Fixing a damaged organ from a stab wound in a reasonable amount of time without a ridiculously long recovery is much more difficult. We're still stuck on the drawing board with that one I'm afraid. Perhaps there will be a breakthrough in the next five to ten years. Who knows, cancer may be eradicated by using this method." Sonny's eyes narrowed a bit as he realized that something Schultz had just said was a lie. The problem was, he wasn't sure which part.

Marcus seemed to pick up on it too but didn't act on it directly, "Your secretary is an exact match to one of the missing people. So is the gate guard. Did you realize that? Or is that something you can explain?"

Sonny's eyes darted, "Marcus!"

Schultz's smile faded but he remained calm, "As I said before, everyone is different. Some people may look the same as others, but appearances can be deceiving. As detectives, you should be able to grasp that simple concept. One needs only to look more closely to see the difference. If that is all gentlemen, I'm late for an important meeting." Schultz turned and walked away towards an elevator, stepping in and giving them a grin that made a cold shiver climb up Sonny's back.

"Well, that was informative," Marcus grumbled as soon as they were outside.

"We're not finished here, I want to have a look around. He never gave us the promised tour," Sonny said with a distinct shift in tone.

Marcus nodded in agreement, "You thinking about a midnight pit stop? I'm pretty sure we can handle the one up there."

Sonny glanced at the guard at the entrance, "Something like that, but we'll need to stop by for supplies." He pulled an electronic device from his jacket and switched it off.

"You mean the armory? You think the Chief will be convinced by just that?" Marcus pondered.

"No, not enough was said. And I meant our own private armory."

Marcus grinned, "Now you're talkin'!"

**A/n: The events of this chapter took place during the same day at various times. This little area covers some more things I wanted to try out this saga with some focus on "normal" humans that can't always rely on super strength and such to get through. I did it a few times last saga and this is obviously a continuation of that with the Satsu cousins.**

**Next time on DBV: The Satsus infiltrate the REDIC facility later that evening and get much more than they bargained for when they find more of the missing people inside, inadvertently discovering what REDIC is really up to.**

**WDG:** +2 missing persons, comin' right up!

**VB**: Nah, I'm sure they can handle it themselves. They're professionals! By the way we're having a garage sale on police detectives. Two for the price of one.


	4. 8-3

**I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. Nor do I own any legal imprinting of whatever theme I'm using, such as a crossover with another anime, movie or TV series. Did I think it up? Yes. Was I the first to think it up? Probably not, but I digress. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just the merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.**

**Chapter 3: Backup**

The Satsu cousins waited until most of the city had gone dark before returning to the REDIC facility. On their way out, Marcus had planted a portable camera on one of the fence lines to capture the shift change for security. When it never occurred however, they weren't sure what to make of it. It was as if the same guard was always on duty with no breaks. That certainly appeared to be the case when they passed by on the street before parking in a dark alley half a block away. Both men were dressed in all black jumpsuits with thick belts to hold equipment. Marcus opened the trunk to reveal a vast array of weapons to choose from.

"You think this might be a bit overboard?" Marcus asked, amused.

"If it is, tell me later. Pack only the flash bangs, EMPs and a small amount of C4, just in case. You want the shotgun?" Sonny offered.

"Nah, AR. Better to have a semi-auto rifle guarding your back than a scattergun," Marcus said, poking a nerve on purpose.

Sonny smirked back, "You can have your range, not that you'll need it in here. Awfully hard to miss at close range with a shotty."

"And awfully hard to reload it quickly," Marcus pointed out with a grin.

Sonny shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Marines." They both packed wide, black backpacks which had an assortment of toys inside. Sonny slapped two thick pistols to his sides where their holsters were fastened before he slung his shotgun over his back. Marcus also carried his larger gun over his back as he prepared a syringe full of green fluid.

"You think we can knock out all of their cameras by planting that little device in just the guard station?" Sonny asked.

"Probably not, I'm not sure getting the guided tour would have helped any aside from locating a few of them inside. Even if we shut the security station camera down and there's no one monitoring, the others probably feed into the mainframe. We may have to locate it first before anything else. Better to drug the guard and kill the feed manually," Marcus suggested.

"Well you're the infiltration specialist. Hopefully our new toy works correctly. Give me thirty seconds to get his attention. On my mark, sync?"

"Sync!"

"Mark!" Sonny dashed across the street with Marcus in quick pursuit. Upon reaching the gate, the pair split up to circle the guard shack.

The guard, Taylor Reks, reacted to Sonny first, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"I didn't get the free samples from the tour, you really shouldn't advertise it. Someone might sue," Sonny remarked.

"Hey, wait a minute! I know you, you're one of them cops that showed up early-er!" Reks' speech cut off suddenly as Marcus injected his syringe into the man's neck. Reks slumped immediately into Marcus, who dragged him away from the shack. Sonny entered it and examined the security feeds shown on the screen. He quickly got to work by pulling the wires from the back and attaching a small electronic device to the longest cord. All at once, the multiple video feeds broke up and became harmless static.

"There, that should do it," Sonny muttered.

Marcus entered a moment later, "Our friend is tied up in the back, and by the looks of that we're set. Looks like our hacker friend came through."

"It's funny how we can't easily disable a camera without being caught until we ask a criminal how he did it so smoothly. We got lucky, all the cameras run through here. Let's move, it's five hours till sunrise," Sonny said as he glanced at his watch. Marcus nodded and followed his cousin as they both pulled out their flashlights. The revolving door didn't want to move until both of them pushed into it hard. The main lobby was dark, save for a few dim ceiling lights that barely provided illumination. As they proceeded past the reception desk, Sonny spotted an elevator down the left corridor. On its side was a listing of various locations and their corresponding floor numbers.

Marcus stared at it with his flashlight, "Hmmm, where to start?"

Sonny rubbed his chin a bit in thought, brushing his five o'clock shadow, "Well, we're not going to be searching for a paper trail or attempting to hack a main frame. We don't have enough time or the right people for that anyway. Visual only, nothing to take with us unless it's substantial evidence."

"So, maybe start at the first floor labs and work our way up?"

"That'll do." The cousins elected to take the stairs to the next floor up, just in case the elevator failed. The passed by various offices and equipment storage rooms before reaching the first floor lab. Inside there weren't too many things that stood out aside from a few hazardous labeled jars and a robotic forearm complete with a hand and fingers. Other than some variably sized monitoring machines and a few microscopes, there wasn't much to the place.

"They must clean this room thoroughly at the end of the day," Marcus muttered.

"Or they don't do much with it to begin with. Let's head upstairs," Sonny suggested. On the second floor, there was a change in both scenery and activity. Just as they opened the stairwell door, a large robot on wheels nearly seven feet tall rolled by quickly, flailing its arms.

"Intruder! Intruder! Alert security!" it rambled in a monotone voice. Marcus chased after it but the robot's wheels carried it faster than he could run. Marcus stopped and pulled a grenade from his bag, lobbing it over the robot and into its path. A flash of electrical light went off and the robot abruptly slumped and slowly rolled to a dead stop. Both cousins ran up to the disabled robot, where Marcus quickly popped open its back plate and severed several wires.

"Nice thinking, he almost got to the alarm up there," Sonny said.

Marcus eyed the solid red handle hanging on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief, "Well he's done moving for a while."

"Might want to break out the light armor piercing rounds, we only have a few EMPs," Sonny said. Marcus nodded and changed the magazine in his assault rifle while Sonny did the same with his pistols. Once that was done, Sonny took the lead with one pistol and his flashlight in hand. They reached the next large lab a moment later and discovered a surgical bay inside. While it was consistent with Director Schultz's brief overview, Sonny wasn't satisfied. Once again, nothing seemed amiss other than a few odd looking tools strung out on the tables. On the far side of the room, a large blue tinted window was being illuminated from the other side. Marcus motioned his head towards it, drawing a nod from Sonny as they crept forward. Unbeknown to either of them, a camera in the upper corner suddenly turned on. The video feed from it was set in night vision infrared, so even in the dark it had no problems seeing them approach the window. Both cousins looked in at the same time, and their eyes went wide. In the next room were ten occupied beds. The various people inside were all dressed in similar blue and white uniforms consistent with REDIC, and all appeared to be asleep. Their heads were all arranged on top of a glass-like circle with blue light flickering randomly below it. Sonny carefully pushed the door open, trying not to make a sound. Only a low humming noise was audible, coming from underneath each bed.

"These are more of our missing people. I see Mary Reks on the far end," Marcus whispered as he moved by each bed. Sonny didn't walk down that far, and stopped at the first bed on the left side. He shined the flashlight into the person's face, receiving no response.

He saw who it was though, "It's Jean Thompson, the receptionist."

Marcus turned, "What? That makes no sense. Why would she be in here now?"

"Your brainwashing theory is sounding more plausible now, but…she isn't breathing?" Sonny gasped slightly. Sonny put a finger under her nose to check, but felt no air coming in or out. He checked her pulse next, also feeling nothing.

"She's dead?" Sonny said in surprise.

Marcus grabbed the chart at the end of the bed and read it over with his flashlight, "It says here she was admitted over three weeks ago. Had a transplant procedure and died the next day. Wait, it says died at ten am and reactivated at three pm. What the hell does that mean?" Sonny locked onto Mary Reks' table and moved to check her over quickly. She was a short blonde haired woman with a slender build.

He quickly felt around her neck and mouth, getting the same cold result, "This one too."

"Freeze! Nobody move!" Instinctively, both Satsus turned and motioned for their guns, but stopped short when they saw the guard Taylor Reks there with a pistol aimed at them.

"Drop 'em!" Reks ordered.

"Take it easy Taylor, we're detectives, don't do anything stupid," Sonny suggested.

"I said drop 'em!" Reks repeated, "Kick your weapons over to me and keep your hands where I can see them!" Marcus knelt slightly and surrendered his rifle, eyeing Sonny in the process. Sonny placed his pistols down first, then reached for the shotgun, keeping Reks' full attention for a few seconds. It was all the time Marcus needed to reach behind his back and pull another grenade out. He quickly pulled the metal pin and rolled it right towards Reks' feet.

"Cover!" Marcus shouted.

Reks glanced down, "Huh?"

BANG. A bright flash and a loud pop filled the room as the Satsus had closed their eyes and covered their ears. Reks collapsed in a heap, holding his eyes painfully as a result of looking right at the flash bang grenade. Sonny was quickly up with shotgun in hand, but Reks was still on the ground, helpless. Marcus plucked the pistol out of the guard's reach before grabbing his rifle once again.

"How was he awake already? That dose should have put him down for the rest of the night," Sonny claimed.

"No clue. That was enough juice to take down an alligator," Marcus said.

Sonny shook his head, "Apparently not. You, Mister Reks, you feel like answering questions now, or later?"

Reks, who was still blinded, managed to give off a slight sigh, "About what?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe your late wife laying in the next room?" Sonny suggested.

Reks paused, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Marcus gave him a not-so-nice nudge with his boot, "Cut the shit, you obviously know something!"

"Alright already. My wife suffered a bad head injury and the doctors at the hospital said she wasn't going to make it. Doctor Schultz said otherwise and offered a trial treatment he came up with. I don't know what he did, but when she finally came to, her memory was shot. And she was different, like a whole other person," Reks explained.

"That still doesn't explain why you're working here though. And our reports say you were listed for knee and hip replacement surgery. You sure don't move like it," Sonny pointed out.

Reks shrugged as his blurry vision started to clear, "What can I say, Doctor Schultz does good work. They gave me this job so I could work off me and my wife's bills. But I haven't been allowed to contact anyone outside of here. Hell I haven't been allowed to leave and I've tried! I want to see my son, is he alright?"

Sonny scowled as he lowered his shotgun, "As far as we know he is, but a responsible parent would go find out for himself."

Reks stared at the ground as he slowly got up, "Yes, I know. Nothing I say will make up for that. I've really tried to leave but they won't let me."

Marcus suppressed the urge to punch the man, "Oh really? You work at the front gate, it must be so difficult to take one step outside."

Reks grimaced, "Well that's the thing. When I've tried to do that, my new hip and knee just locks up. Then the rest of my body does and I can't move until one of the attendants come out. Doctor Schultz said that because it's old equipment, it needs to be near some sort of signal transmitter to work right or something. I don't really get it. It works fine inside the compound, but outside I'm a cripple."

Sonny's face became contorted with realization, "So…nobody leaves?"

Reks gave him a dark look, "Well, not very many do. The director and a few other higher ranking officials do, but that is all."

"Are you telling me that all of the workers are in rooms like this? Being controlled somehow?" Sonny asked in a louder voice. Reks didn't answer, prompting Marcus to yank him up by the shirt collar and drag him over towards the blue tinted window.

"You want to see your wife like this? What the hell kind of man are you, just look at her….what the hell?!" Marcus shouted loud enough to wake the dead. The bed that held Mary Reks was empty. Sonny kept his gun on the guard, but was turning his head like a swivel just in case someone had gotten past them. None of the other motionless people had moved an inch, but Mary Reks was definitely missing.

"That's not good," Reks muttered aloud.

Sonny's eyes narrowed as he stared down Reks, "What is it? What do you know? More specifically, where did you wife go?!"

"I don't know, I was blinded just now," Reks pointed out.

Marcus yanked him roughly off the wall and threw him to the ground, "Well the body didn't just jump off the table on its own! Certainly not without some sort of heartbeat or any other vital signs!"

Reks' eyes darted at him before looking away, "Depends on what you define as vital signs." Sonny and Marcus glanced at each other before they both heard a soft footfall behind them. They spun with weapons drawn, finding Mary Reks standing there in the doorway to the small room. Her dirty-blonde hung down over her face and ears, creating a dark expression that just barely hid her eyes and nose. She had a mostly emotionless expression as she stared at them blankly.

"Detectives, you should probably leave. You won't get hurt if you run now. If you wait any longer, you won't survive, or at least, you won't leave this place," Reks suggested cryptically.

Sonny cocked his shotgun as he kept it aimed at Mary, "I don't respond well to threats."

Reks got up and backed away as their attention remained drawn, "Well I warned you!" Reks quickly darted from the room and out the lab door, shutting it just as Marcus chased after him. Reks activated a keypad on the wall and entered a code, which lit up red and locked the door. Marcus tried to kick the lab exit open, but to no avail. Sonny backed away from Mary, who still stood motionless in the doorway between the dimly lit recovery room and the larger lab.

Sonny kept his gun aimed but was checking over his shoulder, "Well?"

"The bastard locked us in here!" Marcus grunted as he tried to open the door with his hands.

"That's a six inch thick steel door with an electronic lock, you're not going to force it open like that. Blast it open!" Sonny suggested.

"Some C4 should do it, it'll take just a minute!" Marcus called out as he pulled off his backpack and reached into it. Sonny nodded and turned back to Mary, who began stepping towards him.

"Ma'am, stay back!" Sonny warned. Mary didn't answer and kept walking towards him slowly.

Sonny backed up a step, "Ma'am, I am an officer of the Global Police Force, I am here to help you. But I will fire if you don't stand down!" This threat also didn't deter the woman much, if at all. Sonny grimaced slightly and turned to dash towards Marcus. His cousin was diligently working on arming the C4 explosives when he ran up. He fired his shotgun at the window, frowning in dismay when it merely sparked at him.

"The glass is bullet-proof, I noticed that when we came in," Marcus said.

"Well when the hell were you gonna tell me?!" Sonny yelled at him.

"I thought you already knew, you noticed the door after all!"

"Argh!" Sonny growled as he let his shotgun slide to the side on its sling and yanked the pistol from his left holster and pointed it directly at Mary Reks, who was still slowly stepping towards him.

"Last warning ma'am!" he threatened. He thumbed a switch on the side, turning on a laser sight that shined right on her left breast above the heart. When she still didn't stop, he adjusted his aim to just below her left knee and fired once. The bullet struck its mark dead on, ripping through the clothes and into her leg. Mary stopped in place long enough to stare at the bleeding wound before letting out an angry roar that didn't sound human. It sounded like a deranged creature and filled both Sonny and Marcus with fear.

"What the hell?!" Sonny shouted as his eyes went wide and stayed that way. Marcus was quick to stop what he was doing and grab his rifle to help his cousin. Both Satsus looked at each other in bewilderment as Mary Reks stood before them and continued to scream like an animal, but not the kind either of them had ever heard before.

"How is she still standing?" Marcus asked. Sonny put away his pistol and stepped forward as he pulled his shotgun again, firing immediately. The blast sprayed into Mary's entire body from less than ten feet away and she fell backwards, silent once again.

"Bitch ain't standing now," he muttered.

Marcus snorted, "I thought I was the impatient one. I'm not taking the heat for that!"

Sonny turned away from the body, "Relax, it was self-defense and she was warned. Not our fault she's out of her mind."

Marcus stifled a chuckle as he moved to examine his cousin's handiwork, "True, but isn't the nuthouse up the ROAD?! Ack!" Marcus gasped as a bloodied hand suddenly grabbed him by the neck, cutting off his air.

Mary Reks rose off the ground as Sonny quickly reloaded his shotgun in a panic, "Drop him!" Mary glanced at Sonny and turned her head slightly before flinging Marcus aside, sending him crashing into one of the operating tables and onto the floor. He choked slightly as he held his neck, gasping for breath.

Sonny was shocked, "What the hell are you?" Mary stood there with a torn, red stained uniform, but there was no indication of pain. Sonny could clearly see the blood spilling out of both her torso and leg, but it didn't seem to be affecting her at all. Sonny cocked his gun again and fired, generating a generous splash of red along with what he thought was a spark. She barely took a step back from the shotgun blast before screaming unnaturally again. Sonny, stunned to say the least, regained what wits he had and pulled back his shotgun, swinging it towards her head. Surprise and shock filled his face even more when the weapon broke in half on contact and only drew a trickle of blood from her temple and ear.

"Shit," Sonny said. Mary growled again and charged at him. He attempted to slip by her, but she was quick enough to grab his passing arm and yank him back harshly. Sonny cringed as he felt his shoulder pop out of place for a second just before she sent him crashing into the door. The C4 landed on his stomach just as Mary was about to pounce on him again. Sonny held his hands up to defend himself when a loud single shot was fired and struck Mary's head. A noticeable ping of metal striking metal went off, along with a much more noticeable spark upon impact. Marcus was up with his assault rifle aimed right at Mary's head. Mary growled again and turned towards him, earning another shot that struck her forehead but didn't put her down. She did slow down considerably as she stepped forward, and Sonny could see where Marcus had hit before had not only ripped the skin open, but was exposing metal underneath.

"She's a damned robot! Keep firing Marcus!" Sonny shouted as he maneuvered his arm to make sure it would still function. Marcus flipped a switch on his rifle and began firing multiple three-round bursts into Mary's face and body, exposing the metal beneath, despite all the blood. After nearly a dozen bursts, Marcus ran out of ammo and his gun clicked furiously. Sonny got up and lunged at Mary, grabbing onto her back and neck. He was quickly thrown off and crashing into the wall and slumped down there in pain. However, he then pulled out a remote trigger and activated it. On Mary's back, the wired C4 beeped for only a second, long enough for Mary's eyes to widen before she exploded. The glass shattered from the blast as fire filled the lab. Marcus and Sonny were buried under some rubble that was sent flying about from the center of the blast. They pulled themselves out a moment later and sighed slightly with relief as half of the room was lit by flames. A hunk of twisted metal that used to be a light fell from the ceiling onto where Mary Reks had been.

Marcus stepped out and wiped his brow, "That was a bit much."

The relief didn't last long as Sonny glanced over and saw a shadow behind his cousin, "Look out!" Marcus turned in surprise as a human shaped robot full of bullet holes came out of the fire and grabbed him. The robot hoisted Marcus up by the neck, choking him with its long metal fingers. Sonny fumbled through his bag quickly before finding a round grenade labeled with blue and white letters. He popped the top and tossed it right at the robot, who caught it with its free hand and looked at it. A quick burst of electrical energy filled the air and the robot dropped Marcus before falling to its knees harmlessly. Marcus coughed heavily from the combined efforts of his neck being throttled and smoke filling his lungs.

Sonny winced as he slowly got to his feet, "Son of a bitch. Can't say I was expecting that."

Marcus nodded, "No shit. Good thing we had those EMP grenades. How many are left, just in case we run into another one?"

Sonny rummaged through his backpack, "That was our last one, unless you have another."

Marcus grimaced, "Well, as long as we don't accidently wake anyone else up." Sonny nodded and glanced up at the recovery room they had wondered into. The blood drained from his face as he spotted several dark figures sitting up inside with the same cold demeanor as Mary Reks.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Sonny shouted as he made for the shattered lab windows.

Marcus glanced over in realization and quickly followed, "Oh great. Me and my big mouth! Why did I talk you into breaking in again?"

"Ask me later when we get out of this mess!" Sonny said as he climbed through the window, avoiding the sharp remnant glass. Once he was out of the lab, he reached into his backpack for his cell phone.

Marcus climbed over as Sonny frantically dialed, "Who are you calling? For backup I hope!"

Sonny grinned, "Something like that." The locked lab door suddenly burst open and off its hinges just before one of the missing victims, a man, stepped through. Sonny dropped his phone in surprise and rolled backwards to avoid this one as it reached for him. A cluster of them came through as both Sonny and Marcus drew their pistols.

"Aim for the head, that might slow them down at least," Sonny suggested.

"And then what? I say we outrun them while we can before we use up our ammo for no reason!" Marcus argued.

Sonny scowled as all nine human-looking robots filled the hallway, "Good point. Make for the stairs!" Both cousins turned and sprinted for the nearest stairway, only glancing back long enough to see if they were being followed. The nine robots were slowly coming towards them at a slightly faster pace than before, but still a slow walk by comparison to the Satsus.

Sonny cracked a grin, "Alright we're good as long as we stay ahead of them. At least they're slow." Marcus nodded as he opened the door to the stairwell. He was immediately thrown backwards by a large man's hand. Marcus was able to keep his balance and steadied himself on the wall as he dropped his pistols. When he looked up, all he could see was several blank faces staring at him with many more shadows coming down behind them.

"Shit! Run!" Marcus called out as he managed to grab one of his guns and move. Sonny froze in surprise and turned to see his cousin run back into the hallway and head past the stairs. He didn't need long to see why and quickly dashed away, following Marcus. They both ran straight into a dead end a half minute later, with a clogged hallway of lumbering, zombie-like people behind them. Frantically looking for an exit, Sonny kicked in the nearest door, finding only a dark office inside.

"Marcus, in here! We can hold them off until backup arrives!" Sonny called out. Marcus quickly ran in before Sonny closed and locked the door behind him.

"Hopefully that'll slow them down," he said.

"Who are you kidding? Even an entire special ops team wouldn't stop them! Especially not without some EMP grenades, and they're not exactly standard issue! What good will calling in our boys even do?" Marcus shouted in disdain.

Sonny grinned, "Good question, probably next to nothing. I guess it's a good thing that I didn't call them."

"Then who did you…" He never finished the question before a long arm punched through the metal door and grabbed Sonny by the arm. The detective tried to pull free, but was roughly yanked hard into the door, head first. His dazed expression didn't last as he was yanked again and his weakened shoulder completely gave out. By instinct alone, Sonny was able to jerk himself free, but still cried out in agony as his right arm hung limply. Marcus fired several times into the hole in the door with his pistol, sure that he would hit something with the cluster of people out there. His gun clicked empty and his face fell. A loud roar like a train engine suddenly blew by the door, clearing out the horde of robotic people.

"What now?" Marcus asked in surprise.

Sonny smirked painfully, "Looks like our backup is here, that was quick." Slightly muffled sounds of a struggled came through, with the occasional robot body flying by the hole. Eventually this stopped as a pair of hands with blue wristbands grabbed onto the door and ripped it off its hinges before tossing it aside. Marcus stared at the teenaged boy bearing teal over blue clothing, more than a little surprised at his sudden appearance. He knew whom it was, but unlike his cousin he hadn't met him before.

Verto cautiously stepped inside, "Looks like you should've called me a few hours ago. You two the only ones here?"

Sonny nodded, wincing as he did, "Other than the guard and all the robots that look like our missing people."

Marcus looked slightly disappointed, "I don't suppose Trunks came too?"

Verto gave him a strange look, "On a school night? Bulma would have his hide for that."

Marcus frowned, "Then it's _just_ you?!"

Verto shrugged, "I can't round up everyone that fast. You're lucky I live so close to Satan City. Besides, it would be overkill to call the others. Hell it already is."

"So all these robot things won't be a problem?"

Verto glanced at Sonny briefly, "Just tell you cousin to keep up." He then stepped into the hallway, eyeing the few robots he had tossed towards the dead end before turning towards the main pack still coming closer.

"Wait, is he as strong as Trunks is?" Marcus asked.

"Didn't you watch the last tournament? He's much stronger than Trunks is," Sonny stated as he favored his arm.

Verto turned towards them for a moment but didn't take his eyes off the approaching horde, "I'm not as strong as I used to be, Trunks could be stronger if he wanted to be. But for this, I think even Mister Satan would have been fine."

Verto carefully glanced over the approaching people who were still walking very slowly, _Very low ki levels, almost zero like the androids. But their skin is real, as is the blood._ He pulled a small, folded, white device from his side pocket and opened it up. It lit up with blue as he pulled an earpiece from its top and wiggled it into his ear before folding up the rest and putting it away.

"Auto-scan mode. Kain, analysis," Verto said.

"Sir, these are cyborgs that have been fitted with living tissue over their endoskeletons. I am detecting hardened iron and steel alloys throughout their bodies," a monotone, slightly English male voice answered. Verto grimaced at the sound of the voice, recognizing the tone of the program that had once been sent to kill him in the form of a lethal hologram.

"And their appearance? Do they match the missing person reports?" Verto asked.

"I am still going over the files, but they do appear to be a match. However I cannot determine if they were built based on those humans, or if they were somehow changed," Kain replied as the earpiece lit up with blue light.

Verto bit his lip slightly, "I'd wager on the first one, we'll figure it out later."

"Sir, I must warn you that if these people were transformed into controlled cybernetic organisms, then you will most likely have to use lethal force to stop them," Kain suggested.

"Are they under their own control now?"

"Most likely not sir. The only way we could shut them down is if you can find a control hub from which a signal is being transmitted. I am not currently detecting a signal. They may be programmed to behave this way, thus you would have to destroy each one to stop them."

Verto scowled, "Yeah well, I'm sure if there's any humanity left, that's what they would prefer. Nobody wants to be a puppet."

"I understand sir." One of the rear cyborgs then came up from behind, arching to strike Verto from his blind spot.

"Lookout!" Marcus called out. Verto quickly spun, catching the attacker's arm before ripping it completely off at the elbow. A combination of blood, metal and sparking wires flew out as the cyborg tried to make sense of what had just happened to it.

"No pain receptors," Verto noted. He leapt forward and threw the cyborg's body into the oncoming pack.

He briefly glanced at Sonny and Marcus with a stern look, "Stay put." The next two cyborgs both reached for him but only hit air as he phased out and appeared behind them. A sharp, snap-hissing sound filled the air just before their heads were severed by one swipe of a golden blade of light. Verto eyed the metallic connections at the neck and his scowl deepened into an almost angry state. His Ki Sword faded as he glanced up to see the dozens of cyborgs still moving in. He double checked the crowd for fully human life signs before lifting his palm and charging it with a strong blast. He waited until they were all funneled together before he fired, sending a vivid golden beam that spanned the entire hallway. The cyborgs were torn apart easily before the beam detonated. The end result was a corridor littered with artificial body parts, most of which were sparking and smoking. Ahead of that, the ceiling caved in where the beam had exploded, bringing down tons of debris that fell towards the lower levels and then filled up the hallway.

Verto's left ear lit up with blue as Kain spoke, "I do believe you went overboard sir."

Verto's eyes darted towards his left side in annoyance, "You know, I didn't ask Bulma to keep you around for your opinions. Just scan for any more trouble while I get these two out of here."

"There is a small complication sir, your attack caved in the lower levels near the staircase entrance below. I advise that you use the roof access to evacuate Detective Satsu. I am now detecting strange energy levels both above and below our current position. The one below is much more, distinct," Kain said. Verto closed his eyes and attempted to sense anything else unusual, but wasn't able to pick up anything, _Must not be anything human or easily detectable for me._

"Alright, we'll go up. It'll give me a chance to look around," Verto said. He then reentered the office where Marcus was assisting Sonny with the painful process of resetting his shoulder.

Sonny grinned painfully, "I see you can still clear a room pretty quickly."

"Why did you wait to call me anyway?" Verto asked, "It's obvious that pack of tin cans wasn't your first sign of trouble."

"We were able to take down one of them before the rest came after us. And I didn't want to bring you in until I had to. We needed to follow the book on this one," Sonny explained.

"So, breaking in yourselves followed which book exactly?" Verto asked as his eyebrow went up.

"Probable cause?" Sonny said, not earning any change in Verto's expression, "Alright already. I'm just trying to keep your family out of trouble. I had a feeling that I was going to need your help when this all started. Can we just get out of here?" Verto nodded as he reached down to pick up the cyborg arm he had severed. It was the only one left that was still intact, aside from the blood dripping off its end.

"Can I use one of your backpacks for this? I'd like to take it to Bulma for study," he requested.

Marcus slide his pack off, "Sure I guess. Don't know what good it'll do now other than for evidence."

Verto placed the robotic arm into the pack, "She might be able to determine exactly what's going on here. I'd prefer not to blow the place up before knowing what they were doing. Or at least what they were trying to do."

Sonny grunted as he got up gingerly, "I agree. Your mother knows her way around technology fairly well."

Verto gave the backpack back to Marcus, "What do you mean fairly well?" Sonny shook his head at the snide remark and carefully held his injured arm to his chest as he followed Verto out, with Marcus trailing behind. They reached the stairwell soon after once they passed through the decimated hallway with destroyed machinery. Smoke was still filling in from the lab that was on fire, but they were far enough away that it wasn't much of a problem. Verto glanced down the stairs, taking note that after only a flight, the rest were gone. A few tons of debris covered the exit to the lobby floor.

Marcus whistled, "I guess we're not getting out that way."

Verto's eyes narrowed, "I don't think my blast did all that, I aimed for the area past the exit. Kain, do you read any explosives in here?"

The earpiece lit up again, "Yes sir. It appears that the explosion went off at the same time that your attack detonated, so it was likely not even noticeable by even your senses."

Verto frowned, "Is there any more down there?"

"Yes sir, the entire shaft below us is wired with explosives. They would not be lethal to you, but to the Detectives they would be," Kain said. Both Sonny and Marcus looked at each other as they were able to overhear what Kain was saying.

"Kain, how far up is the roof access? I'd rather not have to blast my way out of here," Verto said.

"Level Eighteen sir, but this access staircase does not reach it. You will have to traverse the seventh floor corridor, which I am still mapping. Your scanner is not penetrating through the flooring around the middle of that area, nor is the satellite signal."

Verto's eyes narrowed, "Then there's probably something there that we're not supposed to see. Is that one of the power signals you are detecting?"

"Yes sir."

"Sounds like fun, are you two good to go up that far?" Verto asked as he turned to the Satsus.

Sonny nodded, "Yes, my legs work fine. So your mother gave you a portable scanner and an AI to run it? Where does she get this stuff?"

"Let's just say that she's gotten access to a lot of technology that isn't what you would call…public. At the moment, I think you can understand that," Verto hinted.

Marcus snorted, "At this point, I think I'll believe anything."

The trio made their way slowly to the seventh floor, being quite careful despite an intact and steady staircase. The seventh floor didn't resemble the others they had seen so far. Only the lone corridor led to a large and quite wide metal set of double doors. Verto couldn't sense anything through it, nor did Kain appear to detect much either past the same energy signature he had spoken of. Verto did take note that the walls around the door were slightly rounded, indicating that the next room was circular.

"Now what do you suppose is in there?" Marcus asked first.

"Most likely a trap," Verto said plainly.

"Most likely? Any you're going to just waltz right in?" Marcus said in disdain.

Verto folded his arms, "You don't need to be tactical when you have a one man wrecking crew to smash all in your path."

Marcus shook his head, "Hate to see when you're actually cautious."

Verto smirked, "This is cautious. It's when I get reckless that you need to run. Now let's see what prize is behind door number one."

**A/N: Merry Xmas/Happy Holidays!**

**WDG:** Hohoho, merry Christmas!


End file.
